In today's civilization, we find many threatening emotions that prevent us humans from doing good deeds. We have different states of mind and consciousness. There are levels that allow us to openly express what we think. But there are also levels that we know exist, but refuse to allow others to know. Furthermore, there are even states of mind that we cannot even understand on our own. In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, the three states of the conscious mind are connected, displayed, and ignored as Europeans conform to what others do and ignore their own true thoughts. The consciousness of the mind is easily overpowered by threatening forces, such as conformity, savagery, and ignorance. These threatening forces encircle all forms of civilization and have an effect on the human brain, whether realized or not. The conscious mind expresses itself to others. It’s what we communicate about our thoughts. In the novel, the conscious mind degrades those who are considered inferior to Europeans. During this trip, Marlow joins the rest of his people in mistreating black people. However, even though he conforms to society by saying these people are bad, he is unconsciously expressing how he truly feels about them. "They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now, nothing but black shadows of disease and famine, lying confusedly in the greenish darkness." (Conrad, page 20). It could be said that in the heart of darkness, the menacing force of conformity completely takes over the human conscious mind. Subconsciously, Marlow rethinks everything the Europeans do, wondering in awe if it is really the right thing to do. However, because Marlow learned that it is moral... middle of paper ... the Europeans, causing them to act like savages, instead of natives. The mind is a wonderful thing. This allows us to think on three very different levels. The one we choose to express, the one we don't choose to express and the one we don't even know exists. All these stages of reflection are obscured in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Three threatening forces appear that completely take over the white man and cause him to act inappropriately. They accuse others of acting wildly when they act violently against people from other cultures. They conform to specific beliefs and set aside their subconscious thoughts. These men also have an abundance of ignorance that makes them feel false superiority. The Heart of Darkness penetrates the minds of readers to prove that all of civilization is surrounded by an abundance of forces that can cloud our minds and darken our hearts..