Fulfilling One's Desire is Feeding One's Appetite

A Critical Interpretation of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and D.H. Lawrence's Women in Love

 
            As readers learn about the cruel and evil supremacy that the Europeans held
over the Africans in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, they may ask themselves
what it is exactly that Marlow and Kurtz want to obtain ideally. More importantly,
they may find themselves asking why. After probing Conrad's novel, it seems that
these two characters are trying to fulfill their profound desires, however virtuously
or not. Similarly, it seems that D.H. Lawrence has created some profound,
impacting characters with radical wishes and desires in Women in Love. Ursula
Brangwen and Rupert Birkin seem to attract one another through their personal
wishes amidst early twentieth century England. Although Heart of
Darkness and Women in Love encompass two completely different storylines, they
both share a unique characteristic - construction of insightful characters with
glowing passions for their objects and ideas of desire.   
            In the beginning of Heart of Darkness, Conrad seems to develop Marlow's
personality as a determined man; a man who wants adventure in his life. He begins
his tale to his audience by revealing his passion for maps, claiming his obsession
with them began when he was a boy. He describes his first experience of
encountering the Congo River on a map: "But there was in [the map] one river
especially, a mighty big river that you could see on the map, resembling an
immense snake uncoiled" (Conrad 12). In his description, he compares the river to
a snake, indicating his intense passion for adventure. Also, by using the adjective
"uncoiled" to describe the snake, he is signifying his desire to explore the
unexplored.
            However, as the tale unfolds, Marlow's wishes change and his ultimate
desires are exposed. While on the Congo River, he avoids the reality of the
wilderness - thus readers receive the impression that he wishes to remain
conservative. It seems that he is repulsed by the reality of the dark place - he
discovers that unsophisticated, uncivilized African life exists and it shocks him.
"While I stood horror-struck one of those creatures rose to his hands and knees and
went off on all-fours towards the river to drink…I didn't want any more loitering in
the shade and I made haste towards the station" (Conrad 21). Prior to the trip, he
wishes to explore and discover a part of the map he has yet to see; during the trip,
he cowers away from the bestial society thus revealing his changed desires.
            Further, these conventional desires are reinforced when Marlow meets the
Chief Accountant. "Moreover I respected the fellow. Yes. I respected his collars,
his cast cuffs, his brushed hair. His appearance was certainly that of a hairdresser's
dummy, but in the great demoralisation of the land he kept up his appearance"
(Conrad 21). It seems that in the midst of his great "adventure" on the ship, he
longs for a more civilized society; one that he is more accustomed to. And by
describing his admiration for the "fellow" with the word "respect", it is clear that he
takes a liking to the man because of his clean appearance. This further indicates his
distaste for the wilderness and his need for development at its best.
            Marlow further desires to be superior to women. In the beginning of his
tale, he reveals to his audience that he encountered difficulty finding a contract to
go to sea. Ultimately he is forced to contact his aunt, who is living on the European
continent and who has contacts in a Trading Company, which operates in Africa.
He describes what he felt by having to contact her: "I, Charlie Marlow, set the
women to work - to get a job!" (Conrad 12). His desire of superiority among the
male sex is also demonstrated when he lies to Kurtz's "Intended" after his death: "I
pulled myself together and spoke slowly. 'The last word he pronounced was - your
name'" (Conrad 75). Although he believes he is doing her well by relieving her of
the gory truth, it seems that he actually believes she cannot handle the truth because
she is a woman.
            In Heart of Darkness, it seems that Kurtz wishes to take pride in wronging
the Africans. When Kurtz displays the savagery that the white population inflicts
on the natives, it is evident that he opposes idealistic values. Readers are first
exposed to this unhealthy hubris when Marlow discloses to his fellow travelers the
instance when he encountered one of Kurtz's paintings:
"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"

(Conrad 28).

            Moreover, it seems that Kurtz wants others to recognize the savagery he

partakes in. He gives off such an impression by placing the skulls of the black
natives he has conquered on display for all to see. Marlow describes this during his
story:
"I had expected to see a knob of wood there, you know. I returned deliberately to the first I had

seen - and there it was black, dried, sunken, with closed eyelids - a head that seemed to sleep at

the top of that pole…" (Conrad 57).

            Lastly, it seems that Kurtz wants to realize the horror behind the
imperialism in Africa.  Although he has taken the highest participation in the acts
of savagery, Marlow claims that Kurtz told him that he actually had good
intentions: " 'I was on the threshold of great things,' [Kurtz] pleaded in a voice of
longing with a wistfulness of tone that made my blood run cold" (Conrad 65).
Further, right before Kurtz died, it seems as if he may have actually had a horrific
realization, thus finally comprehending what he had done: "He cried out in a
whisper at some image, at some vision - he cried out twice, a cry that was no more
than a breath: 'The horror! The horror!' " (Conrad 68).
             
            Upon examining Ursula in Women in Love, Lawrence first seems to create
the impression that she desires for the world and its inhabitants to be treated justly.
Immediately after witnessing Gerald training his horse in a rather strict fashion,
Ursula accuses him of being unjust. " 'Oh I hated you so much the other day, Mr.
Crich.' 'What for?' said Gerald, wincing slightly away. 'For treating your horse so
badly. Oh, I hated you so much!' " (Lawrence 138). Such longing for equality is
further exemplified during a scene where the famous artist Loerke shows Ursula's
sister Gudrun a rather offensive sample of his work. Ursula blurts out her disgust
for the artwork: " 'The horse is a picture of your own stock stupid brutality, and the
girl was a girl you loved and tortured and then ignored.' " (Lawrence 429). Clearly,
Ursula has taken offense to the artwork because she believes it represents Loerke's
view of women in general.
            Ursula also desires one eternal love in her lifetime, which in this case is
Birkin. This desire is exhibited throughout the entire story as she devotes herself
entirely to Birkin, and requests the same from him. Any time she feels inadequate,
Ursula encounters no trouble telling Birkin so. For example, one evening after
Birkin recovered from his illness, Ursula ran into him at Willey Water. After asking
him why he would not love her, he responded that he only wanted her "spiritually."
To this, she responded:
"You want me to be a mere thing for you! No thank you! If you want that, there are plenty of

women who will give it to you! There are plenty of women who will lie down for you to walk

over them - go to them then, if that's what you want - go to them" (Lawrence 250)

Through these strong, intolerant words, it is clear that Ursula refuses to be Birkin's
mistress. She desires nothing but pure, authentic love and devotion from Birkin,
and she even tells him so when she says to him, "I want you to serve my spirit"
(Lawrence 249).
            Finally, Ursula desires to please herself before others. This is evident after
Birkin proposes to Ursula. She turns to her sister Gudrun for advice and
immediately after Gudrun advises her not to be with Birkin, she disregards the
opinion: "[Ursula] withdrew away from Gundrun and from that which she stood
for, she turned in spirit towards Birkin again" (Lawrence 264). Another example of
this type of desire is evident when Ursula decides to marry Birkin, even though her
father forbids it: "Suddenly Ursula said, to the company at large, in a bright voice:
'Rupert and I are going to be married tomorrow.' " (Lawrence 364). Without taking
in account the interests of her family, she aims to satisfy herself.
            Similar to Ursula, Lawrence creates Birkin as a character who wishes to
gratify himself before others. He asks Ursula to be as he wishes: "I want you to
drop your assertive will, your frightened apprehensive self-insistence, that is what I
want. - I want you to trust yourself so implicitly, that you can let yourself go...' "
(Lawrence 250). This is also exhibited when he informs Ursula's father, Mr.
Brangwen, that he is going to ask for Ursula's hand in marriage. After Brangwen
goes on in a fit about not allowing his daughters to "be at the beck and call of the
first man that likes to call and whistle after them" (Lawrence 258), Birkin replies: "
'Yes, but you see,' said Birkin slowly, rather wearily, bored again by this new turn,
'they won't give either you or me the chance to bury them, because they're not to be
buried' " (Lawrence 258). It is his rather disrespectful response that demonstrates
his lack of concern for what others think, including his prospective father-in-law.
            Unlike Ursula, Birkin wishes not to live a predictable life. Instead, he
wishes to be impulsive and capricious. On several different accounts, he
demonstrates this aspiration. He tells Ursula that "One should never have a home"
(Lawrence 352) and "The thought of a house and furniture of my own is hateful to
me" (Lawrence 356). He does not wish to settle in one spot for the rest of his
lifetime. He believes that " 'One should just live anywhere - not have a definite
place. I don't want a definite place. -As soon as you get a room, and it is complete,
you want to run from it' " (Lawrence 356).
            Finally, he wishes to have more than one eternal love, unlike Ursula. After
his close companion Gerald dies, he admits to Ursula that he has always wanted an
intimate relationship with him. Ursula cannot understand why she is not simply
"enough" for him. To this, he responds: "You are enough for me, as far as woman
is concerned. You are all women to me. But I wanted a man friend, as eternal as
you and I are eternal" (Lawrence 481). Over the course of the novel, there are
several accounts of the two men sharing intimate moments; however, Birkin never
attempted to further their relations. Only at the end of the novel does he realize that
he wishes he would have tried out an intimate relationship with Gerald. "To make
[my life] complete, really happy, I wanted eternal union with a man too: another
kind of love" (Lawrence 481). The novel concludes with Ursula incredulous with
disbelief; readers are left with the message that women may never understand the
depths of men's innermost desires.
            In Heart of Darkness and Women in Love, it seems that all four characters
share something amazing. While Marlow yearns to discover some virtue in the
imperialism taking place in Africa, Kurtz to display his pride of the savagery
occurring, Ursula to have one eternal love in her lifetime, and Birkin to bond
intimately with another man, it seems that these characters all share a burning
passion for something concrete, among their other desires, whether worthy or not.
Through the development of insightful characters that have a burning intensity for
their objects of desire, Conrad and Lawrence are successfully able to captivate
readers.  
 
 
Works Cited
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
1988.
Lawrence, D.H. Women in Love. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987.