Heart_of_Dark_Ness

Former student Focus/specific textual phenomenon/sign for analysis: Marlow’s negative comments about women in Heart of Darkness. On the Nellie, Marlow tells the other men the story of how he attained his job with the Company. Marlow had asked his aunt for help in getting a job but will not admit that it was her doing that secured the position for him. He tells the other sailors that “the men said, ‘My dear fellow,’ and did nothing. Then—would you believe it'—I tried the women. I, Charlie Marlow, set the women to work—to get a job.” He seems to believe that women were put on Earth merely to help men. Then he brags to the others about how his aunt writes him a letter saying, “I am ready to do anything, anything for you” and that “she was determined to make no end of fuss to get [him] appointed skipper of a river steamboat, if such was [his] fancy” (2308). Later, after he secures the job, he says that “[he] had been represented . . . as an exceptional and gifted creature—a piece of good fortune for the Company—a man you don’t get hold of every day” (2311). He acts very arrogant and is not at all grateful for his aunt’s help. Solid identification and illustration of the focus under analysis. Responses: 1. Marlow seems jealous of her power and acts self-important to impress the other men. Here, you skimp on interpretation. Your task now is to persuade your reader about the meanings of the focus in this particular part of the book. In short, you need to make an argument as to WHY you think Marlowe seems so ungrateful to his aunt. You gesture toward a response, but this is the part of the analytical writing process that you need to EMPHASIZE most—not downplay into one sentence. I think you’re on to something when you suggest Marlowe’s jealousy of his aunt’s power, but this needs to be unpacked. Why do you think he feels jealous' To answer that question in depth, you’re going to have to do some thinking (and reading) about gender assumptions at the turn of the twentieth century. You might, for example, take a look at Norton pages 318, 324, 1871-6, and 2272 (7th edition), all of which touch on British/western views on women. Ultimately, too, you’ll need to offer plausible speculations as to WHY Conrad establishes Marlowe as a misogynistic character. How might the creation of a narrator troubled by women connect to larger themes of the novella' In other words, try to downplay a “characterological” interpretation, where you discuss Marlowe’s motivations; instead, focus on how and why you think Conrad constructs a character with these misogynistic tendencies. 2. When Marlow goes to the Company’s office, he sees two women knitting black wool. He describes them just as he saw them: “one fat and the other slim.” He watches as one gets up and walks toward him, staring at him, still knitting. He says “[the fat one] seemed uncanny and fateful. Often far away there I thought of these two, guarding the door of Darkness” (2310). Why would Marlow think of two women as guards of the door of Darkness' Did he mean how they are literally guarding the door into which he is supposed to walk through to begin his journey to the heart of darkness' Or can this be read as Marlow’s fear of women projected toward the jungle' Marlow originally has doubts about the nature of the business he will soon be a part of. Maybe he thinks of them as guards of his uneasiness; he says she “seemed to know all about them and about me too” (2310). When he sees Kurtz, he knows “[t]he wilderness … had taken him, loved him, embraced him, got into his veins, consumed his flesh, and sealed his soul to its own by the inconceivable ceremonies of some devilish initiation” (2340). Is this what Marlow believes women do to men' Marlow thinks of them as enchantresses. He has complete ignorance about women. People are afraid of what they do not know, and Marlow is very afraid of women. He does not seem to feel the need to speak to either of these women; he does appear to speak to at least one other person in the office—a man. Even subconsciously, he thinks of the two women symbolically, as guards to the door of Darkness, rather than characters in the story he is telling. Your last point here is excellent, but again, this needs to be explored at greater interpretative depth. In this second response, you rely even more on the rhetorical question. You’d be better served, I think, to convert these into theoretical statements. I like your idea about “enchantresses” and “guards to the realm of darkness.” Now unpack these ideas. WHY would Marlowe think this way about women' What are the roots of these particular mindsets about women' And again, most importantly, how do these specific masculinist assumptions connect to the larger themes of the book' 3. When Marlow sees the African mistress for the first time, he describes her as a “wild and gorgeous apparition of a woman…; there was something ominous and stately in her deliberate progress” (2349). This woman was Kurtz’s mistress and held power and threat over the other men associated with Kurtz. The mistress has an air of erotic energy about her and will live on in independence without Kurtz. One might wonder if Marlow is jealous of Kurtz being with this “savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent” woman (2349). The only lasting relationship with a female Marlow seems to have ever had is with his ships. Since Kurtz almost “owns” the African woman, maybe Marlow envies him because he would like a beautiful woman of his own, not necessarily just as a companion, but for sexual gratification, too. There’s some strong thinking going on here. Nice job. Now keep unpacking, and keep trying to connect to the larger themes of the novella. You seem to suggest that Marlowe thinks of women as sexual objects, and that they are possessions that he might envy others (like Kurtz) for “owning.” So what’s your theory about WHY Conrad would create a narrator who holds these assumptions' What does the book seem to be signifying about patriarchal attitudes about women, and how might these assumptions relate to other themes and ideologies represented in the novella' 4. By visiting Kurt’s Intended who romantically continues to idealize Kurtz as a wonderful man, Marlow concludes his sense of obligation to his fabricated belief of Kurtz. Being a moralist, Marlow decides it would be “too dark altogether” to disillusion her (2363). Although he detests lies, he goes along with hers, and even assures her that Kurtz’s last words were actually her name spoken fondly. For Marlow, this lie is justified because he is speaking to a female idealist, a Victorian lady, that is, someone he views as less than humanly intelligent and responsive. He wants to maintain women’s “great and saving illusion” (2361). This narrow-mindedness has been prepared for by Marlow’s acting the sycophant to his powerful aunt while he thinks, “its queer how out of touch with truth women are” (2311). And also later with his sexist remarks like “women… are out of it” and live in a “beautiful world of their own” (2340). By lying to the Intended, Marlow demonstrates how what originally presents itself as an act of respecting women is actually an act that asserts and defends men. Her steadfast certainty about Kurtz’s love for her reinforces Marlow’s belief that women live in a dream world, completely separated from reality. The Intended’s innocence suggests her naiveté; her faith in Kurtz is based upon a lie. Nice work here . . . your strongest response. You present more theories about the sign . . . you’re more interpretative. Keep going with this one. Try to discuss the rich connotations of specific word choices and images (textual interpretation). Not only will this expand your study, but it will also lend nuance to your argument and help you see new and fascinating facets of the focus you’ve chosen to investigate. Remember that the specific language of the text can open up new windows of interpretation, just as it can—of course—help you solidify and complicate points that you’ve already discovered. We call that “textual interpretation”—because it focuses attention directly on passages in the text. Your study could also improve with “contextual interpretation.” Along these lines, you’d do well to build in more references to historical/ideological context with respect to late-Victorian views of women. (This is all “below-the-waterline” material . . . take out your Semiotic Iceberg.) Just remember: a good, college-level essay always performs edifying functions: it teaches its readers interesting information. You’ve touched in this response on some Victorian gender assumptions, but the investigation can definitely go further. Look up, for example, the Victorian metaphor of the “angel in the house.” If you think Conrad might be adopting this metaphor, then the question becomes WHY' 5. Is Marlow afraid of women because of something in his past' When the Russian trader tells Marlow that he and Kurtz had ‘talked of everything . . . of love too,’ Marlow cries, ‘Ah, he talked to you of love! . . . It isn’t what you think . . . He made me see things—things’ (2345). Perhaps Marlow had a love of his own in the past, and Kurtz helped him see the “wrong” in his ways. The reader is led to believe that Marlow tells his whole story and gives the full account of his trip into the Congo, but it could be that he has left out some incidents and conversations he had with Kurtz. We also do not know anything about his past except that he is a man who “‘followed the sea’ with reverence and affection” (2305). He may have had a relationship in the past, but something happened and because of this he thinks the way he does. I don’t see this response as especially persuasive, because it forces you to be TOO speculative. It’s not plausible speculation because there doesn’t seem to be enough textual support for the idea that Marlowe was indeed rejected in love. (He seems in this comment to be satirizing the expansiveness of Kurtz’s talk, as in, “Oh! This know-it-all can discourse on Love, as well! Isn’t that special. What an amazing genius!” It’s cutting irony on his [and ultimately Conrad’s] part.) 6. Is Marlow misogynistic, or are his views and attitudes toward women shared by many others during this time period' Marlow's critical comments about women reflect late-Victorian patriarchal stereotypes in the sense that the women Marlow perceives are more images based on conventions and his own preconceptions of women. You can take as a given that his attitudes reflect the time. The key is to research the time, show HOW his attitudes reflect some of the dominant perceptions about women, and then—most importantly—explore WHY you think Conrad creates a character with these views. I don’t see this as a separate response. Instead, you can bring historical/ideological context to bear in your four other solid responses. In other words, DISTRIBUTE contextual information throughout the paper to support specific interpretative points. Hope this helps, Dr. Fraser