home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- subject = 2nd year
- title = A short essay on Conrad Black's depiction of women
- in the novella, Heart of Darkness
- papers = Please put your paper here.
- In
- Joseph ConradÆs novella, Heart of Darkness, the representation of women is
- extremely limited. ConradÆs portrayals are extreme stereotypes meant to depict
- the entire female gender. Through these extreme stereotypes, Conrad is able
- to illustrate his themes of darkness and brutality.
- Joseph Conrad depicts
- only three main women in his novel: the aunt of Marlow, as well as the mistress
- and his fiancee. These roles though limited in their descriptions, are meant
- to represent the commonly perceived (as well as extremely stereotypical) positions
- of women in society, i.e.: the mother, the whore and the dutiful Lady/virgin.
- Conrad describes the aunt as a ôdear and enthusiastic soul...ready to do anything,
- anything for [Marlow],ö (pg. 34). The mistress is described as ôsavage and
- superb, wild-eyed and magnificent; there was something ominous and stately
- in her deliberate progress,ö (pg. 101). While in contrast, KurtzÆs fiancee
- is described as ready to listen without mental reservation, without suspicion,
- without a thought for herself,ö (pg. 115). These characters are all extremes,
- stereotypical in nature and limited, illustrating ConradÆs portraitÆs of brutality,
- violence, death and darkness of the unconquered world. Since navigation and
- exploration was all done by men these themes are ap
- art of the male realm,
- and thus can only be understood or is meant to be inclusive by men. As a result,
- through these extreme characters of the women, it is understood that women
- this brutality would never have occurred if it had been written about women,
- because these women do not have and are not capable of these feelings and characteristics.
- All
- of the women in ConradÆs novella are depicted in an unthreatening manner, easily
- dominated and controlled by men. These representations allow the central themes
- to be illustrated for the author, showing that they are
- of male phenomenons.
-
-
-