Heart of darkness is a disturbing, critical, and immersive dive into the horrors of western imperialism. Aboard a boat in the River Thames in England, surrounded by the petty comforts and luxuries of the industrialized world, a man named Charlie Marlow begins telling a story to his fellow passengers. A story of his trip down a river in Africa. A story of the horror and moral depravity that dominates that environment, the perfect opposite to the comfort and stability available in their homeland of England. A story which shows that where there is safety and civilization, elsewhere there will be unimaginable horror and brutality. That is the story of the narrator's assignment to work as a boat captain for a trading company deep in the jungle of africa. Where his journey into the jungle shatters his optimism and exposes him to ever increasing violence, danger, and moral depravity which he did not anticipate. Eventually learning of a man named Kurtz who manages an ivory trading post down the river. It becomes obvious from rumors and stories that Kurtz has succumbed to the influence of the jungle, showcasing the darkness that lies inside the heart of mankind. The horror that Marlow experiences there scars him forever. While man might be capable of creating the glory of the civilised world, he is just as if not more capable of incredible evil. Any man who has seen such horrors can't recover from them, he knows what lies within the heart of mankind, what mankind is capable of at his best and at his worst. What man does in civilization is nothing like what he will do when placed in the raw lawlessness of the jungle. This reality forces a sense of skepticism and cynicismn towards the civilised world. The most respectable and civilized person is ignorant of the horror of which they and the rest of mankind are capable of if given the chance.
It's obvious why this book is an endlessly studied classic. On top of its powerful thematic significance and pyschological insight, the prose is very well executed and is quite often very beautiful. Beautiful prose insightfully contrasting the horrific events it is describing. I highly recommend Heart of Darkness, its themes of the inner depravity of man and its very good writing execution are profoundly disturbing in a way that reminds me of other favorite books of mine like Blood Meridian and Lord of The Flies.