Setting in Heart of Darkness

The setting is one of the most important elements of Conrad's Heart of Darkness. The book starts with with Marlow telling his story on a boat in the Thames river. The majority of the novel, however, takes place on a different river, the Congo. This creates an interesting parallel between the modern european nation England, and the more primitive land in Central Africa. While at first the two settings seem to have little in common, the similarity is revealed when Marlow tells the story of England's past. He says that England used to be "one of the dark places of the earth," like the Congo is in the novel. England remained that way, however, only until it was conquered by the Romans. This parallel between the two setting can be seen two different ways. It is possible that Conrad is defending and promoting colonialism, with the belief that Europeans will take Africa into a more modern era. However it is also possible that he is criticizing European for the way they see the Africans as beneath them. Perhaps it is meant as a reminder that both they and the African tribes share the same roots in "primitive darkness."