"Heart of Darkness has had an influence that goes beyond the specifically
literary. This parable of a man's 'heart of darkness' dramatized in the alleged 'Dark Continent' of
Africa transcended its late Victorian era to acquire the stature of one of the great, if troubling,
visionary works of western civilization."Joyce Carol Oates

Compelling, exotic, and suspenseful, Heart of Darkness is far more than just an adventure
story. The novel explores deep into the dark regions of the hearts and souls of its characters and
into the conflicts prevalent in more primitive cultures. It is also a striking picture of the moral
deterioration that can result from prolonged isolation.

Marlow, the story's narrator, tells his friends of an experience in the British Congo where he once
ran a river steamer for a trading company. He tells of the ivory traders' cruel exploitation of the
natives there. Chief among these is a greedy and treacherous European named Kurtz, who has
used savagery to obtain semi-divine power over the natives. While Marlow tries to get Kurtz back
down the river, Kurtz tries to justify his actions, asserting that he has seen into the very heart of
things.