Friday, March 27, 2015
The contrast between the intended and the mistress is between civilization and the wild. The intended thinks well of Kurtz, and puts him on a pedestal, whereas the native sees Kurtz at face value and has him anyways. By extension, civilization ignores the wild side of man, idealizes him, and substitutes society for his carnal instincts, whereas the wild recognizes the murderous, insane side of man and in fact identifies with him. What's more, Kurtz is more attracted to both the native and the wild, so much he doesn't want to leave to return to society. Conrad says many a time that woman idealizes the world, until we come across the native who is "one with the wild." Kurtz is so attracted to her and the wild because they corrupt him and allow him to deteriorate into a lesser form of himself, to where he is the savage among savages.
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I agree with the points you made in your post. The intended and the mistress are very well symbolized between civilization and the wild. Kurtz is trapped in a lustful attraction toward the woman and the wild and it affects him greatly. Because of this corruption, he transforms into a different being. Instead of a want for society and civilization, he's fallen for the wild and darkness among the other corrupt beings around him. This also plays with the Title, because Kurtz has been sucked into the corruption, his heart has become just as dark as his environment.
ReplyDeleteYour post was very accurate and gave insight to the two women as well as what they represent. I enjoyed reading the different ways the Intended and the mistress were described. His lust for the wild and the savage woman is a great indicator to why he was changed. Things were out of order for him and he could not handle it. He was used to the refinement of England, which is shown by the Intended. She symbolizes the way things should be. I loved your ending sentence. It gave me chills.
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