Term Paper on "Sexism in the Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad"

Term Paper 7 pages (2572 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Conrad's Heart of Darkness

Historical literature is filled with examples of pre- and post-colonialist paradigms. Within each of these models, however, there is a certain part of a larger story that can only be told in the larger view of the historical process. One of the grand themes that help us wade through that process is that of the dehumanization of the individual. For whatever psychotically reasons, humans seem to have the need to change others into less than human in order to subjugate them economically, intellectually, or culturally. We might even think of the process of imperialism as practiced by the European powers as dehumanization of culture and society; begun at the micro level and then evolving into the macro. The individual becomes the "other," which may be gender, race, or even ideals.

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness was written at the end of the 19th century. At this time, Britain was still the greatest power in the world, still under the guise of its station as the predominant influence in economics and culture, and still set in its ways as the Victorian Empire. Conrad is very symbolic in this story, told in a narrative style. Conrad is very symbolic in this story, told in a narrative style. Briefly, it follows Charles Marlow, an Englishman who took a position as a river captain with a Belgian company to transport ivory down the Congo River. The story is told to a group of men who are anchored on a ship on the Thames River. The manner in which the chronology of the story merges with the time of day and looming darkness is part of Conrad's atmosphere of symbolism. There are numerous themes and symbols within the novel, Africa as the "dark" continent, London as a "dark" place within the old Roman Empire, the nature of the primitive, a psychological journey into "inner-darkness," and most certainly the ideal of imperialism and colonialism. However, it is with the theme of imperialism that had the most defining impact on the novel and its precedents. That theme is expressed in several ways in the novel that support the idea of a cognitive dissonance, or separation of the individual -- dehumanization and a definition that anything outside of a narrow paradigm may be considered negative. There are clearly interwoven themes within the novel -- contagion as a paradigm for the journey and the views that Marlow has about race and gender.

One way we can look at Marlow's interpretation of his universe is through the subject of contagion as biological disease and sickness, but also as sociological and psychological sickness -- which brings us to his view of women and the onslaught of sexism in the novel. For instance, Emotional contagion is a sociological tendency to catch, feel, and empathize with emotions that are similar or influenced by peers. It can be observed in group behavior with mimicry and synchronization of body language, verbiage, and attitude. Hysterical contagion takes this a step further, and occurs when a group of individuals show either psychological or physical signs of an illness when in fact there is no pathogen -- again, an imitative behavior. All of these views of contagion have a rather negative connotation and are somehow tied together with a theme of uncleanliness or lack of civilization.

Of course, in Heart of Darkness, it is clear from the start that the trip into the "bowels" of Africa is not one of a positive or optimistic nature. "Mad terror scattered them [the natives], men, women, and children, through the bush, and they had never returned" (Conrad, 21). But it is in the explanation of the nature of Marlow's universe when the boat moves back towards civilization that sets the stage for what the diseased continent has done:

The brown current ran swiftly out of the heart of darkness, bearing us down towards the sea with twice the speed of our upward progress; and Kurtz's life was running swiftly too, ebbing, ebbing out of his heart into the sea of inexorable time (Conrad, 188).

But what was this contagion, this feeling of doom and disease that descended upon the ship and her Captain and how did this fuel Conrad's version of gender? And what is the "heart of darkness" in relation to contagion? If we look at the British empire of the 19th century, we note that starting with the late 16th century, Great Britain, or the United Kingdom began amassing dominions colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by London's Parliament. By 1902, for instance, the British Empire had influence on almost 1/2 billion people and 1/4 of the total global population and economy, and its culture, language, and way of looking at the world was considered the correct interpretation of a modern society. At the peak of its power, it was often said that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" because its span across various global colonies. Thus, there was a perception that what was good, right, and civilized was British -- all else was not. African was the "dark" continent based on racism and imperialism, but not so dark that the potential for profit would be obscured by the fear of being socially, psychologically, or medically exposed to disease. and, if one takes that concept -- DIS -- EASE further, it implies that anything out of the British comfort zone had potential negative consequences. Women in the British system were second-class citizens, even those who were educated. There was a precise order of things -- middle class men worked and provided income while their wives managed the house and children. Women were responsible for limited aspects of society, even though the Queen was venerated (Swisher).

Conrad's contagion of women portrays them as weak, grieving and ignorant individuals that are entirely dependent upon men -- almost without an individuality and mindset. This is odd at times because there is a clear message about the evils of blatant imperialism, yet Marlow sees women in quite a one-dimensional manner. We first see this when we are introduced to Marlow's aunt, who seems twittering and completely willing to believe that men know best. "It will be delightful; I am ready to do anything. It is a glorious idea" (Conrad, 18). The Aunt has no clue of the truth of Africa, or of the trials and tribulations necessary -- it is simply an adventure thought of by a man and based on his good sense. Marlowe notes that "She was determined to make no end of fuss to get me appointed skipper of a river steamboat, if such was my fancy" (Conrad, 19).

Continuing with this theme of ignorance, as we move through the contagion into Africa, Kurtz's "Intended" shows little more than naivete' and a blind subjugation to men. Regardless that Kurtz has blood on his hands and has done horrible things at the Inner Station, the Intended sees him as a "remarkable man" who has a "generous heart" and a "goodness that shone in every act…. I am proud to know I understood him better than anyone on earth" (Conrad, 209). Marlow, though is amazed at her blindness to what he knows to be the truth of the situation, " it was more than a year since his death, more than a year since the news came; she seemed as though she would remember and mourn forever" (Conrad, 206).

Critics have argued that this sexism stems from a naturally patriarchal world-view so prominent in Victorian England. Men had the power, Queen Victoria the exception. In this culture, there were a "whole matrix of inter-male relationships involving competitiveness, desire, bonding, and the sharing and appropriation of power and knowledge" (Roberts, 458). Certainly this sounds like the oddly dysfunctional relationship between Kurtz and Marlow. To maintain this system, though, women were used as sexual scapegoats, naive bankers, and even more, having little more reason to exist than at the whim of men -- implying in many ways that they were the ones who were, at the very heart of the matter, central to the destruction of the male spirit.

For Conrad, this is the epitome of psychological contagion -- the sickness of the mind that allows, on one hand, for abject hypocrisy and evil intent, and the other, such simple and childlike naivete that one almost can see these individuals as different species. This idea of psychological contagion -- disease of the mind and the soul, is linked for Conrad in both imperialism and sexism. The idea of the dark Africa, jungles of rotting vegetation, dripping wet, is a real example of the social, moral, physical, and even mental disintegration of society, as well as the view that gender was responsible for the fall of man. At first, for instance, we think Kurtz is simply mad. Later, we realize that he was driven insane by Africa, and the inability for him to decipher the company's needs with the darkness of Africa -- a… READ MORE

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