The following essay is my reflection on the "Heart of Darkness", a novel by Joseph Conrad. I found this book really fun because the author introduces numerous themes such as the mystery of a new territory (the oriental world) and the emotion of an adventurous journey. One of the many points that I found extremely interesting is that “Heart of Darkness” is based on the author's personal experience. In 1890 the writer had the opportunity to travel to the Congo and was deeply inspired by it. From this trip the author drew inspiration for the writing of this novel, which immediately established itself as one of his greatest successes and one of the main novels of English literature. The exploration of an unknown land turns into a reflection on the destiny and nature of man. The book is based on a series of ideas and reflections that touch every aspect of human life. The author's skill lies in his unique ability to adequately address profound and complex topics, which are not at all obvious. Furthermore, in 2001 the director Francis Ford Coppola was inspired by this historical novel for his successful film “Apocalypse Now”. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The novel begins with the description of the story of the sailor Marlow who describes his adventure on the Congo River. Marlow is one of the main characters in the book. The sailor has always dreamed of exploring territories unexplored by human beings. To realize his dream, he found work at a company interested in business related to the plunder of ivory, a highly sought after material in Europe at the end of the 19th century. During this journey, Marlow gradually descends into the dark horror of Western colonialism which is expressed in the white man's acts of violence and bullying towards the local indigenous people. Marlow was deeply disappointed by the malice of European peoples who enslaved blacks and exploited their territory to become ever richer. I found it extremely interesting because the author focuses his attention on telling us about the relationship between Africa and the colonizers. Africa has always been the favorite destination of colonial empires attracted by the vastness of the continent. “'The conquest of the earth, which mostly means taking it away from those who have a different complexion or a slightly flatter nose than ours, is not a pretty thing if you look too deeply into it.' 'Heart of Darkness' definitely gets us leads to the heart of Africa at the time of colonization. Consequently, one of the key themes of this book undoubtedly represents the theme of colonialism. We know very well that the main reason why Europeans went to Africa was typically the economic aspect However, they disguised everything with the excuse of wanting to help the local population through civilization, trying to help the people of the area have a more satisfying life than they had. but also other European countries such as England, France and Germany. This is demonstrated by the fact that the characters in the story belong to different European nations. From my personal point of view, it would be hypocritical to deny that we have lived and still live in a society that continues to think primarily about power and economic interests. Throughout human history, the problem of colonialism has been very important, since from the beginning, in all its forms and in all the states in which it has historically imposed itself, it has manifested a mass of horrors, atrocities, widespread corruption, bloodshed and oppression of peoples, with the drying up of their wealth, their material and human resources.,.