ipl-logo

The Second Sex In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

807 Words4 Pages

Many critics, including A.M. Roberts and Haydar Ali, have expressed their discontent regarding the sexism in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Feminist writer Simone the Beauvoir explains her theory on the social stance of women in her book The Second Sex. In the chapter Myth and Reality this theory can be applied to several women described in “Heart of Darkness”. Both the intended and the African mistress of Kurtz are examples of a false sense of ‘mystery’ which places them in a separate group in society that de Beauvoir describes in The Second Sex.
The most prominent point of The Second Sex is to illustrate how women are segregated from society by men, something which happens a lot in Heart of Darkness. De Beauvoir explains to the audience that men and women often do not understand one other and because men hold a higher social status in a patriarchal society, they have made women the ‘Other’ group in society. This is made evident by De Beauvoir’s following quote: “To pose Woman is to pose the absolute Other, without reciprocity, denying against all experience that she is a subject, a fellow human being.” (De Beauvoir 1266). As a consequence of not understanding women, De Beauvoir explains, men use this false sense of mystery as an excuse not to understand women or their problems. In Heart of Darkness the narrator Marlow believes that women live in their own naïve little world and that they should not interfere with the affairs of men, which he states in the following

Show More
Related

  • Robber Bride Stereotypes

    372 Words  | 2 Pages

    Margaret Atwood’s novel “The Robber Bride” is an iconic piece of modern day literature that centralizes around the concept of female empowerment and acutely focuses on representation through the defined actions, dialogue and perspective of these women. For one, there is a fight against oppressive gender inequality. Women have always been looked down upon while unapologetically regarding them as accessories which they are often seen through the male gaze. However the fight for terminating these outdated stereotypes is shown when Roz’s fifteen year old twins opt for substituting every character role in stories as women for “the twins remain true to their principles, they do not flinch. They opt for women, in every single role” (Atwood 376).

    Read More

  • First Generations: Women In Colonial America

    615 Words  | 3 Pages

    The prejudice that the author brings forward strongly is the notion of feminism. The author’s main purpose of writing this novel is to examine the role of women played around

    Read More

  • Uniformity In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    810 Words  | 4 Pages

    Society explicitly molds a façade of conformity which aids in the direct manipulation and social castration of the individual, those with free spirits defiantly choosing not to fall victim to societal convention. Consequently, history is tainted with the continuous oppression of particular groups, a prominent one being women. The role of women in society has been purposefully dictated in order to maintain this false sense of societal uniformity. Furthermore, women have been subjugated to submissive roles in which any deviation from these predetermined standards labels an individual as an outlier. Specifically, in Kate Chopin’s

    Read More

  • Hardships In Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns

    1413 Words  | 6 Pages

    In the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, we come across two women Mariam and Laila, who endure extreme hardships that most women across the world experience. In the following essay I am going to critically discuss the statement that says "A Thousand Splendid Suns shows the social and cultural- and, ultimately political structures that support the devaluation, degradation, and violence endured by Mariam and Laila". This will be done by focusing on the events that take pace in

    Read More

  • Suddenly Sexual Women In Bram Stoker's Dracula Summary

    1830 Words  | 8 Pages

    Feminist Reading: Dracula between Beauvoir’s and Roth’s Ideas In her article, “Suddenly Sexual Women in Bram Stoker’s Dracula” Phyllis Roth argues that Dracula is a misogynistic novel which is obvious in the system of power in which men are dominant and active figures whereas women are just followers and obedient to their system. She draws on Simon de Beauvoir’s idea that “ambivalence as an intrinsic quality of Eternal Feminine”, in order to show that women are victims to men powers. In her chapter, “Myth and Reality”, Beauvoir discusses the way that anybody in the society, specially men, doesn’t do their job in taking a step towards the oppressed women, but to act just like what the system of myth impose them to act.

    Read More

  • Two Or Three Things I Know For Sure Sparknotes

    1457 Words  | 6 Pages

    In these two scenes and in many other scenes and quotes throughout the book beauty is portrayed in a way that does not solely depend on outward appearance and is not defined by normative standards of class, sex, gender, sexuality, and femininity. Simone de Beauvoir’s thoughts in “The Second Sex” also agree with these statements by reiterating the fact that the “feminine woman” is a social construct and that society has controlled how people are supposed to think about normative beauty and women. Beauty cannot be defined. A woman cannot be defined. Beauty is an intersectional concept that includes all identities and all people regardless of outward appearance or what society says is beautiful.

    Read More

  • Female Sexuality In Dracula

    1622 Words  | 7 Pages

    The literature pieces help explore the subject of female sexuality, as time progress the amount of female sexuality increases. Women can desire, they can have aspirations, even though shown as vampires the text still suggests that they are women.   The gothic writing of Victorian era such as Dracula, Carmilla, and Christabel help

    Read More

  • Feminist Criticism In Othello

    1360 Words  | 6 Pages

    Furthermore, Feminist Criticism provides a better view of literature because it shows that women can be powerful. When Emilia finds out that her husband has been plotting an evil plan she says,” Tis proper I obey him, but not now”(Othello V.2.195). Emilia refuses to help her husband after she finds the cruel intentions he has despite the expectation of women always being submissive to their husbands. Women also have a voice and feelings, they are capable of defying their husbands commands when they know what he expects is simply wrong. In a literary article,The Role of Women in Othello: A Feminist Reading states that,” Society weighs heavily on the shoulders of women; they feel that they must support the men and defer to them, even if the actions of the men are questionable” (Literary Articles).

    Read More

  • Gender Norms In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

    632 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour” is set in the late 1800s – a time when women were considered inferior to men. Women had traditional roles as wives and mothers. In this 19th century patriarchal society, Chopin shows us Louise Mallard, the main character, who does not comply with the female gender norms of the Victorian period. When Louise learns about the death of her husband, her reaction and the reaction of her sister and the doctor tell us a great deal about gender stereotyping during this time. Louise Mallard is described to us as “firm” and “fair.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Heart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad

    1592 Words  | 7 Pages

    Within human nature lies animalistic behavior from which our vices stem. Societal rules and restraints allow us to suppress these more animalistic instincts and advance as a species. However, when one has access to the power that comes with advancement but is placed in a world without the necessary constraints to control this power new vices are formed fueled by greed and self-righteous attitudes. The novella, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, explores the darkness within and what draws it out of one 's soul. Conrad uses Africa as a metaphor for the motherland of this darkness, a world without rules; through setting description, character description, and obvious aspects of the plot that comment on the need for civilization, Conrad explains

    Read More

  • The Symbolism In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

    1041 Words  | 5 Pages

    The lights from the city reflected the Thames River because London is described as being light, the light symbolizes Conrad’s view of civilization. According to Conrad civilization is where evil is present but ignored. The light is the knowledge that is gained through exploring. Conrad uses Africa and the Congo River to represent the evil that waits in the unknown. The darkness is said to be full of savages and cannibals it is further emphasized as being the uncivilized part of the world where people eat people and the savages wait in the trees and in the darkness.

    Read More

  • Social Class In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

    1772 Words  | 8 Pages

    From the beginning of life on Earth, social status has determined one’s quality of life. Early life on this planet were obsessed with social status as many are today. There are natural instincts in animals to try to be dominant so they may thrive over others. The animals that do end up proving their dominance over others are more likely to reproduce and have offspring compared to others. Over time, social status has slowly evolved and what makes one person dominant varies by culture and the specific time period.

    Read More

  • Role Of Women In Literature

    1495 Words  | 6 Pages

    The role of women in literature crosses many broad spectrums in works of the past and present. Women are often portrayed as weak and feeble individuals that submit to the situations around them, but in many cases women are shown to be strong, independent individuals. This is a common theme that has appeared many times in literature. Across all literature, there is a common element that causes the suffering and pain of women. This catalyst, the thing that initiates the suffering of women, is essentially always in the form of a man.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

    1988 Words  | 8 Pages

    The last place Marlow travels in the novel is the home of Kurtz’s fiance, his “Intended.” After speaking with her, he realizes the depth of society’s self-deception and the pointlessness of enlightening her and the rest of the world. She sees only the good that existed in Kurtz, and Marlow knows that this image of Kurtz’s is what he should be remembered as and not the hollow man he became. By lying to the Intended about Kurtz’s final words, Marlow proves his loyalty to Kurtz and the civility that remains within

    Read More

  • Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

    1026 Words  | 5 Pages

    Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, published in 1899, focuses on the effects that imperialism has on the human mind. However, it has been widely criticized for its racist language and depiction of Africa. Regardless, this novel serves as a literary work of art and should not be seen solely as a racist novel. Heart of Darkness shows Marlow’s shift in perspective in respect to imperialism. Marlow has an imperialistic point of view, but he is more judgmental of it than in favor of it.

    Read More

More about The Second Sex In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

Open Document