Part one of term paper
A lie is an untruth. It can be a false statement or a statement left unsaid which causes someone to be misled. In life lies are told for many different reasons. In fiction they thicken the plot. In Conrad's , Marlow dislikes lies and therefore only tells two, both in extraordinary circumstances, and the lies show the following about Marlow ...

Part two of term paper
... lie." He does not think he is better than the rest of the world. Lies simply appal him. Marlow feels there is a "taint of death, and a flavor of mortality in lies." Lying makes him feel "miserable and sick, like biting something rotten would do." Since he feels this way, he would only tell a lie in extraordinary circumstances. The first lie was told by Marlow in extraordinary circumstances. It was told because he had a notion it would somehow be of help to Mr. Kurtz. The lie was ...