“A large number of women [have] brains closer in size to those of gorillas than to the most developed male brains”, according to Le Bon, social “scientist” and “important” figure in the sphere of Social Darwinists, in his book The Crowd. Social Darwinists were people who analyzed concepts of survival of the fittest and applied them to everyday social aspects. In Le Bon’s case, he applied Social Darwinism to the differences between men and women, and how men were “incredibly” superior. This “science” was at its height during the late 19th century in Europe, which was both where and when the book was written. Only four years later, Joseph Conrad came out with his novella, Heart of Darkness, in 1899, during the peak of the reign of Social
…show more content…
The Intended, who is the lover of the European, Kurtz, is portrayed as the stereotypical woman, innocent and also blind to the world’s cruelty. The Intended is locked away in a beautiful, tall house with a marble fireplace and a polished grand piano, almost like Rapunzel, ignorant and locked in away in her tower. And, as Marlow, the main character, enters into her house, he observes that the woman looks like an angel; she has “fair hair” that seems to be “surrounded by an ashy halo” (Conrad 69). Her angel-like presence is also seen in how she speaks of Kurtz when she wrongly states that “his goodness shone in every act” (Conrad 71). In reality, Kurtz was not noble as he was set on conquering and gaining riches from native lands that weren’t rightfully his (Conrad 71). The fact that the seemingly angelic Unintended, kept away in the safety of her lavish home, fails to see Kurtz’s corruption, shows how, within late 19th century society, women, unlike men, are to be locked away and kept pure from all evil. This point is made even clearer when the reader recalls when Marlow pointed out that women should, no matter what, “stay in the beautiful world of their own” (Conrad 44). Symbolically, this notion is depicted in the book through a painting of the Intended that Kurtz made when he was alive. The …show more content…
Because Joseph Conrad, a European man, portrays women within the novella as both ignorant and inferior, he reflects the views Social Darwinists, who were extremely sexist as well. Conrad, it seems, was purely recording views of European men, many of whom had Social Darwinist beliefs, during the late 19th century, when the story took place and was written. Not only did the novella reflect Marlow’s horrific sexist attitudes towards women, but it also recorded ideas of the European men during the late 19th century both honestly and
The Intended, who is the lover of the European, Kurtz, is portrayed as the stereotypical woman, innocent and also blind to the world’s cruelty. The Intended is locked away in a beautiful, tall house with a marble fireplace and a polished grand piano, almost like Rapunzel, ignorant and locked in away in her tower. And, as Marlow, the main character, enters into her house, he observes that the woman looks like an angel; she has “fair hair” that seems to be “surrounded by an ashy halo” (Conrad 69). Her angel-like presence is also seen in how she speaks of Kurtz when she wrongly states that “his goodness shone in every act” (Conrad 71). In reality, Kurtz was not noble as he was set on conquering and gaining riches from native lands that weren’t rightfully his (Conrad 71). The fact that the seemingly angelic Unintended, kept away in the safety of her lavish home, fails to see Kurtz’s corruption, shows how, within late 19th century society, women, unlike men, are to be locked away and kept pure from all evil. This point is made even clearer when the reader recalls when Marlow pointed out that women should, no matter what, “stay in the beautiful world of their own” (Conrad 44). Symbolically, this notion is depicted in the book through a painting of the Intended that Kurtz made when he was alive. The …show more content…
Because Joseph Conrad, a European man, portrays women within the novella as both ignorant and inferior, he reflects the views Social Darwinists, who were extremely sexist as well. Conrad, it seems, was purely recording views of European men, many of whom had Social Darwinist beliefs, during the late 19th century, when the story took place and was written. Not only did the novella reflect Marlow’s horrific sexist attitudes towards women, but it also recorded ideas of the European men during the late 19th century both honestly and