Heart of Darkness Essay: Virility and Heroism Civilization, civilization and civilization, are and could be man's defense against the power and mystery of nature and the primordial nature of himself? When man lives far from refinement and education and lives in the natural habitat of sea, jungle and forest, one can see the tragedy of a warrior, in the destruction of nature and himself. In “The Heart of Darkness,” Joseph Conrad must embark on a quest to discover the fire and passion in his masculine being and ignite the flame in his heart that is the fuel for his will to survive on earth. The immediate relationship with the River Thames and his awareness of fusion with that element send back to him a memory of myth and history.