Britain depicted as Woman in Heart of Darkness
The female figure was depicted as a symbol of purity, fragility, enlightenment and humanitarianism. This was used as to justify the movement of imperialism. In reality, this movement was arguably driven by malicious intent and the avarice of men for power and wealth. However, understanding the wrongful doings that occurred during exploration, the killings of people and the theft of land and power, one cannot sit idly by and think that this movement was at all correct. The figure of the woman acts a as a facade to hide the horrors of exploration and British expansion by using a delicate symbol of purity.“Then I noticed a small sketch in oils, on a panel, representing a woman, draped and blindfolded, carrying a lighted torch. The background was somber—almost black. The movement of the woman was stately, and the effect of the torchlight on the face was sinister. It arrested me, and he stood by civilly, holding a half-pint champagne bottle (medical comforts) with the candle stuck in it” (Conrad, 36).
One can see that the movement of imperialism relied on women, even if it was only symbolically. Even though imperialism stemmed from ideals and values that were patriarchal and masculine from their contemporary societal perspective, they represented Britain in the image of a woman. Why is that? Women at the time were not considered to be strong, nor were they fit for battle. Essentially, they were looked down upon from a pedestal of masculine dominance. Despite this, Britain knew that their expansion would lead to an expanded society. Since women were very much aware and were a major contributor to English culture and every-day society, this may have been the reason why they began bringing women to teach and interact with the native foreigners. A woman, represented the culture of Britain, their society, as well as their values in humanitarianism and peace. This was a more appealing approach that allowed the connections between cultures; it was a strategy that was used to win the trust of foreigners.
Fawcett used a similar strategy to adhere to the perspective of men. In her case, she mentioned that the treatment of women speaks on the masculinity of men; that giving women more rights would make British men look more masculine to other empires. Her case, that the meaning of femininity is a representation of the masculine values was an interesting approach. If British women are treated and viewed as if they are weak and incompetent to make political decisions, what does that say about British men?
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