The Significance of Women in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899)

The Significance of Women in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899)

Over the past couple of centuries, and throughout the evolution of the Western civilization, women have been fighting for equal rights regardless of gender, and progress was achieved. Nevertheless, when reflecting on the history of the world and literature, women have all too often been diminished to insignificant and demeaning roles. They may sometimes have been portrayed as dominant, in a protagonistic light, but most of the time women were simply depicted as submissive beings. Although Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, focuses on men’s role in colonization, several female characters appear throughout the book and play significant supporting roles. Despite the story narrator’s - Marlow - disparaging comments about women, the latter display or represent a substantial amount of power and influence.

During the Victorian Period, women had a very particular gender dynamic. They were in the background and viewed as subordinates. They were thought to need protection for their purity and innocence. Though the state was configured as a woman, since Queen Victoria was the most influential person at that time, the Victorian Period was a patriarchal society, where men were the only ones who could vote and possess property. In a strange, ironic, paradox kind of way, power never works in a way we think it does. For example, The Victorian Period was a social culture. People relied on parties and balls to heighten a family’s reputation, wealth, and influence. Usually, those who fashioned these events were the widows. They had all the power. They were the ones who “pulled the strings,” marrying young women to influential men. Therefore, this displays that although women were seen as irrelevant and insignificant, they had some of the most power.

In Heart of Darkness, women are portrayed as secondary characters. They are viewed as second class citizens and have little to no power. They reflect the values of society and are seen as nothing more than trophies for men. However, the women who seem at first to have little power are in fact extremely influential upon closer inspection. For example, Marlow’s aunt. Though Marlow relates to his audience his conception of women as trivial and idle in their interaction with reality by stating, “It’s queer how out of touch with truth women are. They live in a world of their own” (14), the aunt holds a significant amount of power. For example, when explaining how he got his job as a steamboat pilot, he demeaningly said he “tried the women” and “set the women to work - to get a job” (9). Therefore, the only reason he was employed was that the aunt used her influence with the wife of a high Company official.

Additionally, Marlow encounters two other women at the Company’s office, who “knitted black wool feverishly” (12). Describing one of the older women, he said,“She seemed to know all about them and about me, too. An eerie feeling came over me. She seemed uncanny and fateful” (12). This description is a perfect representation of the Moirae - the ancient Greek personifications of fate. According to legends, two out of the three Fates spin the life-thread of every human being; the third Fate cuts it when it comes time for a man to die. The Fates, being immortal, have the foresight and can see every man’s fate, thus being very powerful creatures.

In addition to Marlow’s aunt and The Fates, another woman that plays a significant role in Heart of Darkness is Kurtz’s African mistress. Marlow first introduces her by describing her beauty. He states that:

She walked with measured steps, draped in striped and fringed cloths, treading the earth proudly, with a slight jingle and flash of barbarous ornaments. She carried her head high; her hair was done in the shape of a helmet; she had brass