The conquest in Heart of Darkness“ The conquest of the earth, which above all means taking it away from those who have a different complexion or a slightly flatter nose than ours, is not a beautiful thing when you look at it too much. (Conrad 65) So Marlow stated as if this was his justification for ravaging the Congo in search of ivory. Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness shows the disparity between the European ideal of civilization and its reality, as evidenced by the domination, torture, exploitation, and dehumanization of the African population. Heart of Darkness is indicative of the evil and greed in humanity personified by Kurtz and Marlow. These emissaries of light prove rude, sordid and violent. They had no regard for the destruction of Africa's natural environment, wantonly destroying the hills in a feeble attempt to build a railway: “No changes appeared on the surface of the rock… the cliff was not in the way or anything; but this aimless explosion was all a work in progress. (Conrad 76) This statement reveals the real reason for venturing into the Congo which was not to bring a better and more civilized lifestyle to the poor and disadvantaged Africans; but to satisfy their lust for power. “This was just a violent robbery, an aggravated murder on a large scale, and men doing it blindly, as is very appropriate for those who face the darkness.” (Conrad 65) Just as Victor Frankenstein in the novel Frankenstein created a monster that was a manifestation of his inner turmoil and demons, so too is Kurtz and Marlow's journey to Africa an unveiling of their inner darkness that we are all afraid to face . Like Grenouille, in Perfume and Victor Frankenstein, Kurtz sought power, adoration and divine status among both his European counterparts and native Africans. Just as Grenouille bottled and collected special fragrances, so too Kurtz collected human heads and displayed them around his hut as trophies. Kurtz's journey to Africa, as well as his inner journey, can be compared to Grenouille's hibernation in the cave for seven years or Victor's search for his monster across the icy slopes. During this time each individual underwent a transformation and a realization of the horrors they had created. Kurtz's last words “The horror! How horrible!” they are comparable to Victor fleeing the scene when faced with the manifestation of his work.