Women as figurative images in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

guarding the door of Darkness, knitting black wool . . . one introducing, introducing continuously to the unknown, the other scrutinising the cheery and foolish faces with unconcerned old eyes

This description leads the thought to the concept of the Fates of European mythology, three goddesses who ruled over the destiny of every mortal man. The two women are distinctively different, and have different tasks, just like their mythological equivalent, and are occupied with knitting, just as the Fates handle and manufacture the tapestry of life The impression of this fabled concept is heightened as Conrad uses expressions such as “uncanny and fateful” to describe them. The two women correspond very well to two of the Fates, the youngest who spins the thread of life and the oldest who cuts the thread. It is similar as the young woman introduces adventurers, and Marlow hails the old one with an “[a]ve! Old knitter of black wool. Morituri te salutant [Those who are about to die salute you]”. Therefore they are characteristically recognizable as the Fates of the Heart of Darkness.

 Although distinctively mythical, these two women are not alone in being imagery for concepts, as the African woman that Marlow encounters at the Inner Station also has the role of a concept larger than an individual woman. She is described in a fantastic, exotic and utterly foreign manner:

A wild and gorgeous apparition of a woman. She walked with measured steps, draped in striped and fringed cloths, treading the earth proudly . . . She carried her head high, her hair done in the shape of a helmet . . . innumerable necklaces of glass beads on her neck, bizarre things, charms . . . She was savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent

She is assigned several traits, both positive and negative and has a very outlandish appearance in European standards. The fact that she seems to be in a position of power among the natives, and that she is a woman underlines her complete alienation from the White Man. In this, she is embodies the ultimate Other, and is the epitome of Marlow’s experience with the Other during his journey. The analysis can be taken further, as the woman can be interpreted as a representation or pars pro toto, a part of the whole, for the African nation. This is suggested through the description of the woman’s relation to the African nature such as that “the immense wilderness . . . seemed to look at her, pensive, as though it had been looking at the image of its own tenebrous and passionate soul”. This coupled with her appearance, makes her seem like a personification of Africa. The fact that she is a woman makes her akin to any spiritual Mother Goddess which is prevalent in many ancient religions, as well as the modern nationalistic trend to present a woman as symbolic for a nation. The African woman is therefore a personification of the African nation, which is also so completely alien to European culture, that it presents the ultimate experience of the Other.

The knitting pair in Brussels and the African woman are representations of mythological and spiritual concepts. The knitting women are the Fate divinities, and therefore the Fates of the Heart of Darkness. The African woman is a personification for the African nation, in its exotic and alienated state. Conrad show this to the reader by using subtle description as hints and creating parallels between the mythical figures and their literal counterparts. In conclusion, the role of these women is as representations of mythical figures.

Words: 747

Bibliography

Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. London: Penguin Books, 2000