"Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad is a very contemplative and symbolic piece of literature. On the surface, the story is about the journey of a man named Marlow, who works for an ivory company and is looking for adventure, deep into sub-Saharan Africa. On a deeper level, however, the story is about the "darkness" of the title. It is an exploration of that word, revealing it to be all the evil things that rest in the hearts of men. All of the characters in “Heart of Darkness” have been meticulously crafted to provide further development on the theme of darkness. The entire theme can be summed up in Africa's and Europe's individual relationships with darkness, but the reader must still realize that not all is as it initially seems in "Heart of Darkness." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In "Heart of Darkness" little is held back in the description of Africa as a backward and uncivilized place. This is immediately apparent as soon as Marlow's description of his travels is recounted. For example, consider Marlow's observation about the Africans at the Outer Station: "They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now - nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation." This is obviously not a clear support for the African population. To illustrate that these feelings are not simply those of one man, Marlow, note Kurtz's scribble, "Exterminate all the brutes," in reference to Africans. Indeed, even the landscape of Africa is described in a way that makes it seem brutal, dark and evil: "The living trees, bound together by creepers, and every living bush of the undergrowth, might have been turned to stone, even to stone ." from the slenderest twig, to the lightest leaf... it seemed unnatural." Africa is indeed meant to be seen as a dark place by the reader of "Heart of Darkness". However, despite this, it is not the "darkness " of the title. Europe and its people, on the other hand, appear to be depicted as entities of light in "Heart of Darkness." For example, after Marlow observes the poor, dirty Africans outside the Outer Station, he enters and meet the Accountant, for whom this description is offered: "I shook hands with this miracle... I respected his collars, his broad cuffs, his brushed hair... In the great demoralization of the country he maintained his appearance. That's backbone. This description certainly seems to be that of a beacon of light in a sea of ​​darkness. The status of Europe continues to be constructed for the reader. Furthermore, referring to Kurtz, Marlow observes: "All Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz." This statement, which appears to continue to defend the "light" of Europe despite Kurtz's mistakes, intentionally leads the reader to believe that these actions of Kurtz are validated and even admired. This gives rise to the opinion that "Heart of Darkness" has racist aspects. However, the issue goes much deeper. Europe's status as a beacon of light is also not what it seems; in the end, it just adds to the subtle irony of the "darkness" theme in general. As has been established, in a superficial reading of "Heart of Darkness" Africa and its people appear to be the darkness while Europe and its people appear to be the darkness. to be the light at the antipodes; a thorough analysis of many elements of the story, however, will reveal exactly the opposite. Europe is the real darkness. As mentioned in the last paragraph, “All of Europe contributed to the creation of Kurtz” is seen as a breaking point for the reader, that passage which.