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Critical Analysis Of Kurtz's Heart Of Darkness

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In a passage where a native woman is described in toto, Marlow brings together his two victims of imperialism, the savages of Africa and the general woman. He gives the reader an illustration by saying “She was savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent. […] She stood looking at us without a stir and like the wilderness itself, with an air of brooding over an inscrutable purpose” . Unlike the inferior features he gives his aunt, Marlow associates Kurtz 's mistress with supernatural powers and sees her as being the wilderness itself. Before encountering the African mistress, Marlow claims that Kurtz had been influenced by the wilderness, to be changed from good to evil. In stating that "the wilderness had patted him on the head [...] loved him, embraced him [...] and sealed his soul [...]" . Marlow is actually referring to Kurtz 's mistress. With her power and control, she managed to make Kurtz find and use the inner darkness of his heart and soul. Even though this intense and detailed first depiction enlightens this woman as pure, innocent, mature and simple, Marlow still views her merely as an unnamed object covered by metals, and not as a complex being with notable substance or worth. Her jewellery and attire reflect both her culture and that of the British invaders. The artlessness image of the women is reinforced when Kurtz and Marlow are about to leave off to England. At this point the superb black woman is briefly described, “stretching tragically her bare arms” as

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