The novella "Heart of Darkness," by Joseph Conrad, takes place in the early 1900's and is about the European colonization in Africa. The story is told through the perspective of a young man named Marlow. The novel starts when Marlow is sitting on the deck of a sailboat recalling his experiences in Africa. He reflects on his encounters with the many different people in his journey. Through Marlow's experiences, readers are able to see the role of the women in the society and the important aspect of restraint. Marlow's sexism is revealed in the restraint he shows when he lies to Kurtz's intended.
Marlow believes that women like his aunt have a naive sense of idealism. When he goes to visit his aunt before his journey, his aunt tells him to "wean those ignorant [Africans] from their horrid ways"(17). Marlow dismisses his aunt's false perception. He believes that she lacks the awareness to make such claims: "It's queer how out of touch with truth women are. They live in a world of their own, and there has never been anything like it, and never can be.""(18) Here, the word "queer" " reveals the opinion Marlow holds for his aunt. It signifies that a woman's opinion and style of thinking are not something worth contemplating. It also demonstrates the false sense of idealism his aunt has. She trusts Marlow so much that she believes he can civilize the Africans. The phrase "they live in a world of their own" demonstrates that the women do not have much knowledge about matters other than the things that directly affect themselves: "If women are given the chance to set [the world] up, it would go to pieces before the first sunset."(18) Since men like Marlow have experienced a world outside Europe, they understand the full complexity of matters. Women, on the other side, have lived in a society that is away from the harsh truth. .
After Marlow returns from his trip in Africa, he is distraught. His encounters leave him questioning about society to a point he cannot cope up with himself.
