In every society of the world, there is a direct relationship between its values and its individuals. Whether it is the values of society that shape the individual, or the individual that shapes the values of society, is a perplexing puzzle that has sparked the inspiration for some of the world's most renowned and distinguished pieces of literature. In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Doris Lessing's No Witchcraft for Sale, Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible, and George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant, the relationship between the values and individuals of society forges a complex and pensive theme. Through the use of anecdotes, symbols, and varying points of view, the authors show the effect that society has on their characters, and the effect that their characters have on society. In "The Heart of Darkness," Conrad uses the character Kurtz and his transformation upon submerging himself in a brutal, less civilized society...