Inner journey into the heart of darknessHeart of Darkness is a book about one man's journey into the depths of the African Congo. He goes to a place where “changes are happening within” (Conrad 15). For a man named Kurtz, his journey went further into Africa than he could have hoped. Kurtz's trip to Africa ended up being a journey into the darkness of himself. At the start of the journey, Kurtz was a good man who believed in bringing civilization to Africa. Some of Kurtz's good intentions can be found in many of his writings. When Marlow read them he said: "...He began with the argument that we white people, from the point of development to which we had arrived, 'must necessarily appear to them (the savages) as supernatural beings - we approach them' . with the power of a deity”, and so on, and so on “By the simple exercise of our will we can exercise practically unlimited power for good”, etc., etc. » (Conrad 50). In his writings, Kurtz believed in using Europe's power for good. He believed in coming to Africans as a God and not as a conqueror. You also see his good intentions in a painting he painted. Marlow saw it and said: “Then I noticed a little oil sketch, on a panel, of a draped and blindfolded woman carrying a lighted torch. The background was dark, almost black” (Conrad 27). The photo gives you an idea of ​​how Kurtz felt before he left for the interior. In the photo, the darkness is Africa and the woman represents Europe. The light she holds represents the knowledge, or civilization that Europe is trying to bring to Africa. Kurtz believed he was bringing light to Africa and he expressed this in his photo. Even if Kurtz us...... middle of paper ......se. But his soul was mad. Being alone in the desert, he had looked into himself and, by Heaven, I tell you, he had gone mad. (Conrad 65) Marlow clearly states here that by being in the desert, Kurtz was alone and isolated. Thanks to this isolation, Kurtz had found himself. For Marlow, he was crazy, but he was always clear about himself. To Kurtz, he may have been crazy, but he had finally discovered who he really was. Throughout the book, Kurtz struggled to find his true self. At first he believed in bringing about civilization for the common good, but in doing so he was forced to realize the corruption within himself. Through the solitude and isolation of Africa, Kurtz's journey ended up being a journey into the darkness within himself. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. WW Norton & Company: New York. 1988.