Thursday, March 26, 2015
Heart of Darkness Prompt 11
Women have usually been subjected to sexism and the higher-than-thou attitudes of men. Heart of Darkness pays no exception to this phenomenon. As typical in the time period that the story takes place, women are seen as inferior to men. They are considered second rate citizens and cast aside in typical society. Conrad book Is a prime example of this on account of there only being three "significant" female characters in the book. Marlow does the unthinkable in the narrative and asks his aunt for assistance so that he may start his journey. This is out of the ordinary for the time because men's elitist perspective dictates that they are above the aid of females. Regardless of the social customs however, Marlow's journey would not be possible if It weren't for the assistance of a woman. It is evident that the aunts inclusion serves no purpose in regards to the theme or message of the book but I believe her inclusion is essential since she made the story possible. The other two women of significance are the mistress and fiancé of Kurtz. Very little attention is given to both characters. When asked about Kurtz, Marlow told his fiancé that the last thing he said before he passed away was her name. This lie could possibly have originated out of the mentality that women are weaker and perhaps she cannot handle the truth. Overall, the female presence in the story is very minuscule and when Heart of Darkness is observed using the feminist perspective, it can be argued that the same demeaning perception of Africans is evident when it comes to women during the period.
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I had never really paid attention to the fact that there are only three female characters presented in the book, none of which have a very large part. I enjoy you mentioning that Marlow's journey would not be possible without the aid of his aunt. Although she does not play a large part in the book as a whole, she is the reason the book takes place. It's also quite refreshing to read a mans opinion on feminism that is not all negative.
ReplyDeleteI did notice how the women in the book are shown to be 2D, almost like cartoons. The women are shown to be less than men, just like they were in society itself. I wonder if there are any articles about the book saying it is unfair the women are shown in this way. Most likely not because some cultures still see women as property. Humanity has not evolved so much as to see women as equal to men. I believe Conrad’s use of the aunt was him trying to show a woman in a role of power, just like he showed the Europeans’ faults.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you on the fact that the women are only included in this novel to either move the plot along, or to emphasize differences between Europe and Africa. The mistress and the intended are just a part of an ongoing metaphor that makes them the embodiment of their environment.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the women are mainly meant to emphasize plot. The identify of the women in the book is completely dependent on masculine commentary and the reaction of the male. The women in the book are only thought of sexually or idealistically for narrative purpose, and it represents the view of women at the time the book was written.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else on this comment thread, I believe you hit the nail on the head when you say women are considered second-rate citizens in this story. It amazes me that this oppression of females was so common while Conrad was writing Heart of Darkness; as you pointed out, although female presence is extremely minuscule, the plot would not have a resolution without the help of women. Even during a time when male elitism drowned out the voices of oppressed women, the necessity of their role in not only society, but through story as a whole, remains evident in all great works of literature throughout time.
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