Where is kurtzs mistress in heart of darkness

In his society, the women are powerless and misinformed, and society is civilized. In the Congo, the women are strong and have power, yet the society is being oppressed by white men. The first women introduced are white European women at the office of the Company. They are knitting black wool, which may symbolize the Natives of the Congo or the Darkness itself.

These women unquestionably accept the fate that lies ahead for the men that come in the office, and seem, undisturbed. It is a painting of a woman that is blindfolded, but carrying a lighted torch. The reader is then taken into a totally different world for the role of women; the Congo. Kurtz is very powerful, and the mistress was his equal. She is not bound to him, and she can come and go as she pleases. You could even view her as the stronger of the two, because she retained her blackness when the whites invaded her society, but Kurtz lost his whiteness while in the Congo.

Fearful of the Manager's intentions, the Harlequin told Marlow his suspicion that Kurtz's White rescuers were actually trying to hurt him. Recalling the overheard conversation between the Manager and his uncle, Marlow told the Harlequin that he was correct. The Harlequin then revealed that Kurtz had ordered the attack on the steamboat because "he hated the idea of being taken away. Shortly after midnight, Marlow awoke to the sounds of a drumbeat and natives reciting incantations.

After hearing a "burst of yells," Marlow entered Kurtz's room and found he had escaped. He found Kurtz crawling through the grass and finally approached him. At first, Kurtz told Marlow to run and hide himself — but he then began telling Marlow that he had "immense plans" that were ruined by the Manager.

Marlow listened, hoping that Kurtz would make no noise or give no sign for his men to attack. Finally, Marlow led Kurtz back to his room. They left the Inner Station the next day. As they floated downstream, three natives covered in bright red earth shouted some form of spell; they next saw Kurtz's native mistress run to the riverbank and begin shouting something that the rest of Kurtz's 1, followers began repeating.

The Whites on the steamboat began pointing their rifles at the shore; to avoid a massacre, Marlow began blowing the whistle to scare the natives away. Many of them ran, but the "wild woman" did not. The Whites on deck then opened fire on Kurtz's followers. As they made their way to the sea and Europe , Kurtz continued to talk of his ideas, plans, station, and career. By emphasizing the fundamental similarities between a white woman bound by a traditional engagement and an African woman living in supposed sin, Conrad builds on a series of false dichotomies, or opposing pairs.

Throughout the novel, he presents us with alleged oppositions that turn out to be disconcertingly similar. As Marlow notes, the Pilgrims exhibit many of the savage tendencies of the cannibals.

Again and again, the image of blinding sunlight becomes entangled with the image of darkness: Both conditions hamper our ability to see things clearly. Powerless, ignorant, and tragic, the African mistress and the Intended belong to this large set of false dichotomies.

With their varied styles of dress and communication, the women initially seem to come from different worlds.