The Role of Kurtz’s Intended in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of...

The Role of Kurtz’s Intended in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Very often in literature minor characters appear for only a short time in the story but carry a very heavy significance in the overall meaning of the book. Kurtz’s Intended, in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, is this kind of character. The unnamed woman only appears for a brief period at the end of the novel, but Conrad includes her for three very crucial reasons. He has Kurtz’s fiancà ©e appear to provide a justification for Marlow to lie, to be the catalyst that leads to Marlow’s revelation that darkness does indeed exist everywhere, and to symbolize all of civilization. When Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness, he intended the theme to be universal,†¦show more content†¦The threat of darkness does not just exist in Africa and other uncivilized places, but it comes from the heart within each individual. Conrad wants the reader to realize that there is no getting away from the darkness that dwells inside everyone; it is necessary always to practice self-restraint or the darkness will take over. The significance of the presence of the Intended is to provide Conrad a chance to have Marlow lie to make evident to the readers that darkness exists everywhere, that it is inside the heart of every person. Conrad uses the Intended in another way to convey to the reader that darkness is every- where. Conrad develops a very sexist attitude towards women early in the book. It’s queer how out of touch with the truth women are. They live in a world of their own, and there has never been anything like it, and never can be. It is too beautiful altogether, and if they were to set it up it would go to pieces before the first sunset. (77) This apparently demeaning attitude towards women sets up Marlow’s meeting with and first impression of Kurtz’s Intended. Marlow describes the Intended as having â€Å"fair hair, [a] pale visage, [a] pure brow†(160) and â€Å"a soul as translucently pure as a cliff of crystal†(155), all features that are light and cause the Intended to appearShow MoreRelated moralhod Relative Morality in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness1511 Words   |  7 PagesRelative Morality in Heart of Darkness      Ã‚  Ã‚   It has been well documented by critics that modernist literature departs from the blind acceptance of beliefs, religious beliefs in particular, evident in literature of prior periods (Abrams 1).   As Jump notes [...] the modern western world is less sure of its values than most previous cultures with which we are familiar; relativism and subjectivity are facts of everyday experience (15).   Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness is no exception.   TheRead MoreGender Role In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Essay1430 Words   |  6 PagesGender Role In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness For the most part people who read Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad may feel that the novella is strictly a story of exploration and racial discrimination. 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