It has been often argued that one aspect that modern
readers may find problematic in Heart of Darkness is its depiction
of gender. In their relationship to women, male characters oscilallate from Marlow's
patronizing to Kurtz's lust. Some feminist critics such as Carola Kaplan have pointed
out that women are given only minor parts and mostly remain without names. Yet, this is
true of most of male characters too. In addition, Marlow's aunt, although repeatedly
belittled by her nephew, is shown as powerful. Rather than living in a world of her own,
as Marlow states, she understands the social and political context of the Victorian
Era.
Kurtz is connected with two very different women. In
Belgium, he has left behind his fiancée, the Intended, who is devoted to him. She fits
the canon of Victorian womanhood, the naive woman in need of male protection. The Woman
is the other female character with whom Kurtz is connected. She is the African woman
Kurtz has been living with and is antithetical to the Indended. While the white woman is
virginal and ideal, the African woman is more sensual and statutesque (she's described
as "wild eyed and magnificient").
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