by A. M. Gilbert

Created on: July 16, 2010

Not Just Black and White:

Gray Areas in Conrad's Exploration of Society and Savagery

In his 1902 novel Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad explores the similarities and dissimilarities between society and savagery to demonstrate that modern preconceptions regarding progress may be little more than conceited delusions; to achieve this, Conrad weighs the impacts of society as both an intangible influence and a tangible entity, as seen clearly through the Intended and the African mistress. These women initially appear as two radically different characters; however, due to common motivations which center around their relationships with Kurtz and their symbolic values which focus on similar themes, the connections between the women ultimately run much deeper than those suggested by their apparent differences and contribute to Conrad's blurring of the lines between the “superior” members of society and “inferior” people living in savagery.

The Intended's and the mistress's qualities as characters, while superficially different, converge in reaction to the pursuit of Kurtz and the values that he represents. The Intended appears to be a righteous representative of Kurtz's positive relationships at home, though this holds true only to an extent. At first glance, the Intended assumes the role of innocent bystander; she faithfully waited for Kurtz only to be heartbroken by his death. From this perspective, the Intended illuminates Kurtz as he was and she essentially portrays herself as his biggest fan; though Marlow meets her more than a year after Kurtz's death, she is still in mourning and "seem[s] as though she would remember and mourn forever" (Conrad 145). The reader cannot interpret this relationship at face value, however. As Thomas Dilworth writes, "[Kurtz] inspires her, but largely, we may assume, by affirming her own values" (511).

The Intended's love for Kurtz therefore has selfish roots. While she at first seems a "dutifully sanctioned Fidelity" (Straus 127) to contrast the possibly more sinister intentions of her African counterpart, the Intended's motivations ultimately stand as the same. She had mostly managed to bury any questionable expressions of feelings, as per the regulations of society, though her personality manifested itself somewhat in her domineering of the conversation with Marlow and assertion that, even if she had not seen him in so long, she knew Kurtz best. These seeming breaks in the established character convey that

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