Heart Of Darkness

The tale begins with the mention of "one of the dark places of the earth" (Conrad, 6) and ends with "it would have been too dark" (Conrad, 131). It begins at sunset and ends at night. The "heart of darkness" may refer to the heart of "darkest Africa". The heart of darkness takes place along the Congo River. At this time, it was pretty much unmapped territory. Here the white "pilgrims" and colonizers lost themselves in the mythic chaos of the jungle. This was a place where the heart of darkness was, where guys like Kurtz lost their minds in the darkness of "savagery". Still there is another larger theme. The setting may personify the hearts of the white people themselves. More than the darkness of the jungle, the evil within the hearts of Europeans eclipses any mythic darkness in the jungle.
Mr. Kurtz was originally thought by him to be a redeemer. In the Congo, free from social restrictions there is no longer any model of proper behavior to which he must conform - only his personal drives and desires. Kurtz was free to "take a high seat among the devils of the land" (Conrad, 44). Overtaken by his greed for ivory, Kurtz engages in savage rituals, takes a native mistress, and impales the heads of his enemies on stakes. Therefore, Kurtz is in fact the man with a heart of darkness. He rules the native through fear, and they respect and obey him.
The jungle's description suggests the theme of the natural essential nature of man who is prone to act evil. Conrad's text states that man has a natural lust for domination, which is expressed within the laws of society. Those who are out of society's reach ("a policeman, a neighbor"), are free to utilize this lust, as Kurtz does. This is the truth that the jungle implies and that Kurtz exemplifies. He exemplifies the wild state that every man, no matter his culture, is capable of reverting to. It is very significant to point out that the savagery is inherent in civilization itself, it is something natural to us and we were