The Inconsequenstial Roles of Women in Heart of Darkness...

Wars have been fought; lives lost, and lives won because of woman, or due in no small part to women’s effect on man. Held up on a pedestal of purity and innocence, Man has fought to keep their loved ones from the terror of the real world, one filled with strife, abuse, cruelty, and all things ungodly. Women are civilization; they are the bricks that make a society civilized. Men are there to carry out the uncivilized acts so that proper society can flourish from the untarnished view that woman have of it. The â€Å"Heart of Darkness† features few female characters and when they are presented it is in a minor if not inconsequential role. They are left to mainly secretarial work or are not working when they are presented. They follow strict gender stereotypes of doing home-like jobs or knitting, so as to not have to be a part of the dark world that is around them. Kurtz is held up to a almost godlike figure. He is the man all of the other people want to be. He is a hero t o the company and has been able to harvest more ivory than anyone else; however, at a terrible cost, and that was the treatment of the natives. Kurtz had two lovers â€Å"The Intended†, as well as the tribal mistress. The woman must be protected. The protection of women is vital in keeping with civilization, for without their innocence and assumed purity, men would not be able to do the nasty things that are required for making a society function properly, things while morally ambiguous allow it to run smoothly while