Ignorance In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

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Recommended: Representation of women in the heart of darkness

In society, people prefer awareness than unawareness, but this does not always prove true. According to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, unawareness overpowers awareness when horrific events occur. Women such as the Intended, or Marlow’s aunt, live in their own world, ignorant of everything around them. Aware of their surroundings, the fates and the mistress live as an icon of freedom. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad uses images of women to symbolize the reoccurring theme of enlightenment versus ignorance. He views women as if they live in a fantasy world instead of the real world. Although society prefers awareness over unawareness, unawareness appears to bring happiness.
Conrad talks about ignorance as a bliss through women. Believing …show more content…

When the Intended became conscious that Kurtz has died, she mourned for over a year. She tells Marlow, “‘I have been very happy - very fortunate - very proud,’ she went on. ‘Too fortunate. Too happy for a little while. And now I am unhappy for life’” (Conrad 70). Her unawareness of Kurtz resulted in her “very happy” lifestyle. Now that she knows Kurtz did not live her fantasy dream, she lives “unhappy for life”. She becomes aware that maybe she will feel happy again if she was unaware of Kurtz’s situation. She has been taken out of her fantasy world and put into a reality world. Similar to the Intended, the Congo acts as a woman figure. Although the Congo physically possesses no female figure, it acts similar to a woman in that the deeper Marlow goes into the Congo, or womb, the more he becomes aware of how difficult his journey is. “There were moments when one’s past came back to one… but it came in the shape of an unrestful and noisy dream, remembered with wonder amongst the overwhelming realities of this strange world of plants, and water, and silence. And this stillness of life did not in the least resemble a peace” (Conrad 30). While traveling deeper into the river, Marlow starts to become aware that unconsciousness of his life, is better than constantly being reminded of events. He wants to concentrate on getting to Kurtz, but his “unrestful” and “noisy” …show more content…

While unaware of what goes on in Africa, the Intended and Aunt live happy lives, but once the Intended becomes aware, she goes into a state of depression. Conrad uses the Congo to represent a female figure, exemplifying that the farther Marlow goes up the river, the more he realizes that knowing awareness of his past, affects his journey in a negative way. Lastly, the fates and the mistress’s awareness leads to freedom which results in opposing society and acting different. Although society prefers awareness over unawareness, in the end, unawareness seems to make others live a happy

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