to penetrate all the hearts that beat in the darkness" (113). His final statement of "The horror! The horror!" (112) is his judgment on all of life. The wilderness brings Kurtz to the point where he has a full awareness of himself, and from there he makes his affirmation about all mankind.Thus, in the story the wilderness is more than a backdrop for the plot. It is an unmerciful force that continually urges the characters to shed the restraints of civilization and to indulge the despicable desires of their hearts. The wilderness destroys man's pretensions and shows him the truth about himself. I think Conrad is trying to imply that every man has a heart of darkness that is usually drowned out by the light of civilization. However, when removed from civilized society, the raw evil of untamed lifestyles within his soul will be unleashed. And that I think, is the meaning of the "heart" of darkness, which is the journey of discovering one's true self.Work citedConrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. England. Penguin Books, 1995....
