Treatment of women in the heart of darkness?

Answer 1

There are many interesting juxtapositions of contradicting elements in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. One of the most fascinating is the comparison between Kurtz's "beloved" and the powerful woman of the river. In many ways, the woman of the river symbolizes the Congo; dressed in "fashionable items" she does not desire (like the ivory "decorating" the land), powerful and yet persecuted, and, in the end, killed by conquerors. Conrad juggles the concept of "civilization" a great deal in Heart of Darkness; the Belgians and British who claim to be civilized often behave in more animalistic ways than the natives they label primitive. A strong example is Kurtz's beloved; she is completely lacking in understanding and perspective, and example of the oppressed and over'civilized. At the time of writing, women could only sit at home and wait for their sailor lovers, and that is all the beloved does. She knows nothing of Kurtz;s true character, and she simply worships the man. The woman of the river, however, is extremely powerful and stands up to Kurtz. Conrad glorifies this character.

Answer 2

Except for the Aunt who gets Marlow the job, and the two knitting ladies there is seldom mention of women in the novel. Marlow even states something about [women should be left out of things for they live in their own world].