Patrick McEvoy-Halston

English 439AlIvI01
Dr. SusanHuntley Elderkin
16 June 2003
PrivilegingMarlowe

JohannaSmith, in "'Too Beautiful Altogether': Ideologiesof Genderand Empire in

Heart of Darkness,"arguesthat Marlow is attemptingto revitalizewhat had becomean old

conceptionof separatespheres.According to Smith, Marlow is an ideologue who presentshis

+
listenerswith a new Kurtzian imperialism in hopesof challengingand helping replacea feminine

Marlow's skill as a
one. If Smith is correctin her suspicions,shecertainlyoveremphasizes

craftsmanand his effectivenessas a spokesman.His uneasinesswith women is everywhere

manifest and obvious in the text. So too is his ineptness--hecreatesseparatesphereswith a

masculineone which includesat leastone woman! But imperialismnever loosesits taint of

in his narrative,just as influencenever seemsto lose its taint as a

feminine acquisitiveness

feminine power. Quite possibly,given his characteristicresponsesto compromisingsituations,it

is more accurateand helpful to imagine Marlow as more intent on using his priviieged position

as narratorto establishhimself as a skilful evaderrather than an imperialistic Darth Vader.

Marlow's fascinationwith and fear of the power and influence of women is more evident

in the text than Smith appreciates.Smith, hoping to emphasizethe importanceand relevanceof

feminist analysis,prefersto construeMarlow as an effective and menacingopponent. That is,

she seesMarlow as proficient in effectively charactenzingwomenas weak and delicate. His

power, shetells us, "as the masculinenarratorof his story" (Smith I73;emphasisin original),1
split ,n$t,tr/e
allows him to effectively silence,commodify, and belittle the women in his "tale." She argues

that we needto be armedwith discursiveanalyticalskills, with feminine critiquesof ideology,in

'colonize'
order to better recognizeand resistbeing victimized by "Marlow's narrative aim to

I
Hereafter all quotationstaken from pagesnumberedbetween 169 to 183 refer to Smith's essay. All other
quotations refer to JosephConrad's Heart of Darkness.
 and 'pacify' women"(170). Considering
Smith'sconceptionof Marlow's intentionsandher

aswell ashis villainy,it is not surprisingthat Smithmisses

high regardfor his competence

and/orcontestsherthesis.
evidencethatcomplicates

For instance,Smith believesthat Marlow is attemptingto reinforce an ideology of

separatesphereswhich waslosing its influenceby the late nineteenthcentury. Shebelievesthat

he is attemptingto createan ideologywhich imagineswomenasincapableof acceptingand/or

hancilingthe purportedlyhard truthsof reality. Yet the first encounterwe havein the text (orher

than with Marlow) with someonewhoseauthoritativepresenceis built upon an extended

with truthsof this kind is theold womanat theCompany'sBrusselsoffice' She

experience

knowsthat;g few of the men that comebeforeher will survivetheir experiencesabroad. She

seems"uncannyandfateful" (25), andmakesMarlow feel very uncomfortable. Smith rightly

with oneof thethreeFates,but doesnot

theold woman'smythologicalassociations
recognizes

and
,-. U9- convincinglyexplainwhy Marlow,if hemeanfto establishwomenasessentiallyignorant
wouldpermitafigurewhose
hardtruths,
of handling abilityto divinemen's
FateJike
ffip;".apable
'J rr
, -* -r{'
fe d"' futureis neverreallybelittledin thetext. The old woman'scallousattitudetowmdsyoungmen

is characterizedasa realistic andlegitimateresponseto the fate sherightly knows awaitsmostof

the men shesees.And it is an attitudethat Marlow adopts,andis delightedto mimic, in his own

treafinentof his attendeesonboardthe Nellie (50). (And alsowhile in thejungle: he tells us he

him brutallycallous"[87]).
thoughtthatthe pilgrims"considered

Smith passestoo quickly over anothersurprisingassociationMarlow allows her. Smith

remindsus that Marlow portraysthe old womanassomeonewho "'pilot[s] youngmen into the

thattheold womanis beinglikenedto "the pilot who ferriesthedead

Company',"andsuggests

acrossthe Styx into Hades"(175). Smithis awarethatif thereis an almostreliablyexclusive,

 of seamen(182)'of
homosocialandmasculinefraternityin thenovelit is thebrotherhood

empowercdloners,yet doesnot explorewhy Marlow, in effect, includesthe old womanwithin

this fratemity! Comparingher to someonewho successfullyferriesdoomedsoulsto the most

dangerous,hellish of imaginedplacesis an especiallystrangething for Marlow to do if his intent

was solely to convincereadersthat womenaretoo delicateto ventureabroad.

To be fair, Smith arguesthat Marlow attemptsto "stabilizehis masculinity," a

masculinitysherecognizeswasthreatenedby the old woman,in relationto his aunt (and alsothe

Intended)(176). Shetells us that in his "farewell visit to his aunt,he usesher feminine lack of
'sentimentalpresence'that canbe
experienceand debasedimperialistrhetoricto consuuctthe

from an 'idea' andthenrejected"(17S).Smith,in dramatizinghis encountelwith

distinguished

his aunt asonein which he usesher, fails to considerit more asonein which he felt used.

Marlow describeshis aunt as"triumphanf' (2?), andit is possibleto readhim asmorereactive

than active,asmore a victim than a victimizer in this scene,andto judge his cutting aftef-the-

fact commentaryaslargely compensatoryin nature.

' and
Certainly it is an encounterin which his aunt's influenceandpower in the Companv
|l"t
potentiallyover him is madeclearto Marlow, andit is alsoonein which his aunthasboth the A'fo.".?ll

tonal authority and assumedright to dominatea dependentattendeeasa triumphant,domineerin, i m'

matriarch. WhenMarlow quotesher "exact" wording, we hearher patronizingtone,her

authority:"'You forget,dearCharlizt. . .1"' (27). As with the old woman,Marlow

assumed

feelsuncomfortablein her presence(27). This rebukeis his aunt's responseto Marlow feeling a

needto resisther-whether simply her idealisticbeliefs,aswe aretold, or the entirety of her

authorityover him, we cannotbe sure. His quibblewith her and/orher views, if we tr':st

Marlow's accountof this encounter,wasdelicately,evenmeekly,delivered: "I venturedto hint

that the Company was run for profit" (27). It is not clear that his "delicacy" was born out of a

needto be civilized, or out of an awarenessand sensitivityto his aunt's own supposeddelicate

nature. Instead,he might have beencarefully attemptingto contesther authority without inviting

upon himself a humiliating lecture. That is, he might have moderatedhis delivery more out of

fear of reprisalsthan for any other reason. As it turns out. for his miniscule display of

impudence,he is patronized,lecturedat, told to "wear flannel, [and to] be sureto write," and

afterwards,likely owing to thesehumiliations, he is left still feeling "queer" (27) and uneasy.
l,rt
Marlow's after-the-factcommentaryon the supposedfbsurd nature of women is evidence

that he continuesto be disturbedby this encounteras he narratesit. His diatribe reeksof

retroactivecompensation,as if he were still trying to counterthe authority his aunt once had over

him. His assertionsof female weaknessare thereforetainted,and are hardly ideal for the project

Smith imaginesthat they are intendedto serve. Marlow cannot arguewell for separatespheres

basedon female weaknessand male hardinesswhen he showshimself to be somethingof a

coward, somethingless than a Man.

Not only doesMarlow not manageto "sta'oiiizeiiis riiasculinity" in the prescuusof liis

aunt, his aunt, more than the old woman, continuesto "bewitch" (38) his existencein Africa.

While Smith mistakeswho demonstratesauthority in Marlow's encounterwith his aunt, sheis

right in assumingthat Marlow hopedthat his awarenessof the ultimately materialistic

motivations behind imperialistic efforts privileges him in someway. But even in Africa it is

(41) which makeshim impressiveto Companymen. The

"dear aunt's influential acquaintances"

manager'sagent,the brick maker, imaginesMarlow as possessing"influences in Europe" (42),

and it is Marlow who recognrzeshis aunt as the sourceof his (Marlow's) inflated reputation.

Marlow tells us that he "let the young fool t. . .1believeanythinghe liked to imagine as to [his] [.
. .l influences [. . .], [but that he also] t. . .1therebybecamein an instant as much of a pretenceas

the rest of the bewitched pilgrims" (42). And it is possiblethat the reasonhe compareshimself

to the bewitchedpilgrims is that, despitehis denial that there was anyone"behind" (43) him, he

knows that his aunt's influence over him is real, substantial,and offers tantahzingbenefits.

The brick maker, after all, likens Marlow to Kurtz (4I). Marlow is imagined by the brick

maker to be Kurtz's potential competitionfor GeneralManager;that is, as a rival, a potential

equal. And while Marlow, so often forced to bite his tongue,finds nothing more appealingabout

Kurtz than his "impudence" (47),2Kurtz can only get away with being impudent to rivals

becausehis connectionsin Europe make him seemear-markedfor GeneralManager @l).

Kurtz's connectionsgive him a degreeof immunity to reprisals(from rivals at least) so that his

insulting lettersto the Central Station's managerhave not affectedhis star status. Since

Europeancapitals are charactenzedaseffeminateplaces(88), Kurtz's connectionslink him to, if

not female relations,certainly to effeminatemen. His capacityfor direct, "manly"3 impudenceis

thereforeportrayedby Marlow as being enabledthrough feminine influences. If Marlow

permittedhimself to make use of his aunt's connectionshe would likely becomeas empowered

as Kurtz or the person Kurtz directly rebuked,the Central Station's manager,is. However, he is

also awarethat he would owe his statusto his aunt efforts and that this dependencewould make

him pathetic. He would havepower over others,but would conceiveof himself as more his

aunt's cagedpet than a caging patriarch. We know this becauseof the specialinterestMarlow

takesin the manager'sspecial"boy" (37), andby the way in which Marlow characterizesthe

2 to the managerandthenasks,"Canyou imaginesuch

He quotesfor us theentiretyof Kurtz'smessage
impudenc e?" (47). Arguably,his expression of wonderment overKurtz'sbehaviourin is not altogether different
from his reactionto the supposed incredulityandinadequacy of women(27).
3 quit, impudence or boldnessis largelyportrayedasa femininetrait,or a traitthat
possibly,in Heartof Darkness,
is intrinsicto womenratherthanmen.
Central Station manager.

Other than the brick maker, the only personat the Central Station who is favouredby
'boy'--an overfed young negro from the coast," who is to Marlow an
the manageris "his

embarrassingand despicablefigure that "treats the white men, under [the manager's] [. . .] very

eyes,with provoking insolence" (37). The negro's insolence,his impudence,dependsentirely

on him being the manager's"favourite." And we should not be surprisedthat the manageris in

many ways a compositeof the old woman and, more importantly, of Marlow's aunt. As with the

old woman, as with his aunt, the manageris someoneMarlow isolatesas having the power to

make othersfeel uneasy" (37). (And he tells us, "You have no idea how effective such a . . . a . .

. faculty can be.) Like the old woman, his gazemakesMarlow feel uneasy. It r,vasthe old

woman's looks' "swift and indifferent placidity" (25) that affectedMarlow, while it is the

"trenchantand heavy" (36) natureof the manager's gazethat affectshim. Just as he had

charactenzedhisaunt (and women in general),Marlow describesthe manageras existing in his

own odd and impregnablebubble:

When annoyedat meal-timesby the constantquarrelsof the white men about

precedence,he orderedan immenseround table to be made,for which a special

househad to be built. This was the station'smess-room.Where he sat was the

first place--therest were nowhere. One felt this to be his unalterableconviction.

(37)

Like his aunt, the man agerexpects,demands,and other than with Kurrz, receivesdutiful

attendance.And as was true with his aunt, "he paid no attentionto t. . .] [Marlowe's]

explanations"(37).

Marlow comesclose to literally running away from the manager. He saveshis scathing
commentaryof the manageruntil "he flung out of his [the manager's] hut" (38). Running away,

or turning "his back on" (38) thosewho unnervehim is as frequently encountereda responseof

Marlow's to feeling uncomfortableas is his back-biting commentary. The two reactionsusually

go together. He doesn't fling himself away from his aunt (mind You,as Smith points out, he

goesto Africa as much in hopesof distancinghimself from the influenceof womenllT6l as to

travel to the heart of the jungle), but he feels the needto suddenlyinform his listenersthat he was

well "used to clear out for any part of the world at twenty-four hours' notice, with less thought

than most men give to the crossingof a street" (27). As with his reactionto the Central Station

manager,however, he usually doesnot rely on his imaginationto remind himself of his mobility.

He usuallyjust moves. However, overwhelmedafter seeinga connectionbetweenhimself and

the acquisitive,power hungry Companymen and pilgrims, he doesfinally demonstratethe

power his position as narratorpotentially offers him to createsometemporal spacebetween

himself and a compromisingsituation.

After admitting this connectionand his feelings of insubstantiality,Marlow returnsto the

"present" to lecture his attendeesonboardthe Nellie. In this instancehe escapesfeelings of

distressthat he may have re-experiencedwhile relating his memory of the incident by, in effect,

ir.avelingthrough time! He makesuse of his narrativepower to help persuadehimself that he is a

voyager,a wanderer,pan of an ancientbrotherhoociof seamenwho have remainedtire sautc

sinceEngland was herself a primordial land. To seamen,it is the vicissitudesof time which are

unsubstantial,so, too, the attractivenessof the secretsof continents(19). His return to the

of him, to his identity as

"present" is a return, then, thanksto the unnamednarrator'sassessment

a "trustworthy" "pilot" (I7), andmaybe a strategyof his (Marlow's) to help purifyhimself of

"rotten" (42) feelings.

 When he returnsto his remembrancesof his past,immediately after he finishes relating

his encounterwith the brick maker,Marlow tells his listenersthat he sought"comfort" (44)

onboardhis boat. More than this, he tells us/themof his associationswith "the few mechanics

there were in that station," who, owing to their "imperfect manners,"were "despised"by the

Companypilgrims (aa). He also pals about with a modest,honest,"good worker" (44). Marlow

ta-kesevident pleasurein isolating himself from the Companymen and in both sharingand

identifying himself with the few honestsouls about him. Amongst people too "unimportant" to

draw attention,too "simple" to be interestingto thosefascinatedwith intrigues and mysteries,

but seeminglyunaffectedby others' opinion of them, Marlow is happy. It is not impossiblethat

more than anything else, a searchfor happinessis what motivatedMarlow's narrative. There is

iio doubt that women trouble Marlow, and that they are constrrredin the narrative as dangerous

in part becauseof the pleasuresthey offer meii. Tirere caii also bs no doubt tha'rire wuulri Ls

delightedif his narrative contributedto revitalizing separatesphereideology. However, he 4,lr

u*LJtufE
idealizesthe peripheralloner so much in the text, while condemninginfluence and power, that he 4L,
f1a4/"4Lt
doesnot establishany clear meanswhereby any man, or companyof men, could succeedin

constrainingand containing women without therebydemonstrating"unbounded" (178) feminine

W'
tL u-,

power and impudence. *h

ll^,;JL ?
Smith is correctthat Kurtz's "'unboundedeloquence"'(176) delightsMarlow, but just as

Marlow is willing to admit that he "was seducedinto somethinglike admiration" (7I) for the

Russianattendantto Kurtz,he admits his fascinationwith Kurtz's eloquenceas part of a twinned

narrativesequencewhich will havehim ultimatelydamn it. Marlow's own manliness,despiteat

times pretendingthat he is immune to continentalattractions,ultimately dependson his success

in resistingthem.r'H"knows that Kurtz's eloquencemakeshim great,but also that it is entwined

with a suspectdesirefor impudent self-assertionwhich ultimately is not distinguishedfrom an

unboundedand tragic desirefor "successand power" (85). Marlow is thereforeseriouswhen he

claims that he is "not preparedto affirm the fellow [Kurtz] was exactly worth the life [a

helmsmanl[he] t. . .1lost in gettingto him" (67). And Marlow is likely relievedratherthan

saddenedto find that "[a]ll that had beenKurtz's had passedof [his] [Marlow's] [. . .] hands"

(90). That is, Marlow, becauseit guaranteeshe will not suffer Kurtz' s fate, is glad that Fate

worked to circumscribehis own potential influence.

Smith knows that what shelabels as a Kurtzian imperialism is not somethingMarlow

presentsas arising out of the efforts of comrptible Kurtzs, but implausibly implies that it could

ariseout of the "strengthof [the] t. . .l homosocialbonds" (182) establishedbetweenfellow

J"l^'r
"helmsmen." That is, shethinks it will ariseout of men whose virtues include the modestyof Ung"rtle^{

their ambitions and the narrownessof their focus and interests,and who steerclear of power and $*r
prestige(and especiallywith Madow, uncomfortablesituationsas welli) *o kind of colonrzatron

of the savage
is ultimatelyvalidatedin the text. This includesMarlow'scommodification ^ ,
of thesupposed
woman,asit bringsto mind associations insatiabledesireof womenfo. tf,ingi'#4
oL doo. colattiJr,,r p+r*,z q lq^:7
of any
muchasit doestheobjectifyingm ale gaze.And nt herois pre(entedfoi the leadership

colonizingeffort. Certainly not Marlow, who fearsold womenalmostasmuch ashe doeshis

aunt,andwhosesadistictreatmentof the Intendedis not evidenceof manly brutality or an ideal

displayof male power,but of cowardlyretributioninstead. That is, the Intended,one of the less

intimidating or pressingfemaleor feminine figures,is the womanhe revengeshimself uponfor

feeling consistentlyawkwardin the presenceof the text's otherfemaleor feminine characters.

Marlow might admireand sometimesimitate the brutality of the hunter,but he prefersto hide.

beetle(51); andhe is morea small

He takespleasurein imagininghimselfasa smallanonymous
 10

dot on a boat than the cenueof a potentialsphtr€ of influe,nce.Marlow is too small' too
\
insignificant,too pathetic,in fact, to wairant havingthe privilege of being the subjectof Smith's

critical gaze.a

4
This assertionis an exampleof narrativeexcessandinsensitivityon my part. No oxe is inconsequential:we all
havebeautiful souls. A
 Works Cited

Conrad,Joseph.Heartof Darkness.Ed. RossC Murtin. 2nded. Boston:BedfordBooks,1996.

Smith,JohannaM. "'Too BeautifulAltogether':Ideologiesof GenderandEmpirein Heartof

Darkness."In Heartof Darkness.Ed. RossC Murfin. Znded. Boston: BedfordBooks,

1996.

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