The Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad paints a picture of the dense and secluded jungle of the African Congo as a background for his main theme: that when man is faced with temptations and when man is isolated from civilization, he reverts to a baser form. Although set in colonial Africa, Conrad clearly conveys the idea that the essential evil of man's nature can be brought out in any part of the world at any time. In The Heart of Darkness, Kurtz is isolated from his European culture and is faced with the temptation of becoming rich off of ivory. As a result, he goes mad and regresses to barbarism. Throughout the story, Conrad refers to the Congo River as the yellow "snake" on the map, yet he never admits that it is the Congo River by naming it. By remaining general in his descriptions, Conrad makes it possible to put the story in another setting; he is very specific in his imagery, but by not naming names, one could transpose the story to another time or place.