HoD: Intro

In Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Marlowe begins the story by juxtaposing the Romans, English and Africans.  These comparisons create a sense of vagueness that questions who can truly be defined as a savage.  As the story continues, it can be seen that everything is situational, and the environment has a significant impact on people's mind.  Kurtz ideally depicts the transformation of the mind as one travels to different environments as he was once considered a respectable, universal scholar that eventually becomes a savage power mongering brute.  The people that occupy the outer, central, and inner stations also display the deteriorating nature of man as they travel deeper into the "darkness."  So, as people journey further into the heart of Africa, their id seems to be the best means of survival, and it takes over ones mind since there are no restrictions that allow the superego to tie down the conscious from acting on instinct.