Heart Of Darkness

Heart of Darkness In Joseph Conrad's novelette Heart of Darkness, Marlow's view of women embodies the typical 19th century view of women as the inferior sex. There are only three relatively minor female characters in Heart of Darkness: Marlow's aunt, Kurtz's mistress, and Kurtz's "Intended." Marlow mentions these female characters in order to give the literal aspect of his tale more substance. While they definitely play specific roles in the story, they do not relate …

… inferior. Marlow's opinion of women manifests the typical 19th century views of women. While the women do play key roles in the plot of the story, they do not influence the main theme of the story, which is of Marlow's exploration of the darkness which is inherent in the human soul. This darkness is evident in the savage blacks, but more so in the savage treatment of blacks by whites who call themselves civilized.