The white and civilized women of Heart of Darkness and the black beasts of Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad in Heart of Darkness alludes to some prodigious evil lurking in the soul of 'humanity; but this corruption – in its simplest form, the brutality and mammon worship of Belgian imperialism – is hidden from the “innocents”. The “initiates,” furthermore, either embrace wickedness (as do such men as the “pilgrims” and, more significantly, Kurtz) or resist it and become the enlightened – indeed, “Buddha preaches in European garb” (Conrad 21). But it is the “innocents” – represented by the European women in Heart of Darkness – who swallow the lies of a gentle colonial administration and multifaceted salvation for the pagans. If "Conrad was shocked by the 'high-sounding rhetoric' that had been used to mask the 'sordid ambitions' of King Leopold II of Belgium" (Brantlinger 279), he was certainly also disturbed by the applause he received so eloquently equivocal on the issue of the female home front . Yet Charlie Marlow (like Conrad, enlightened during his unpleasant stay in the Congo) does not choose to pierce the veil of female naivety. Isn't the Buddha compassionate, a bearer of truth? Why, then, does he hide the light of dark facts? Ignoring the existence of chain gangs, groves of endangered Africans, and the like, Marlow's aunt speaks "of 'weaning those ignorant millions from their horrible ways'" (Conrad 27). Her nephew, on the verge of entering the "heart of darkness," may "dare to suggest that the company was run for profit" (27), but she sees only the white man's burden. No, his nephew must not have been a simple ivory and rubber collector. For her he is a torchbearer at the forefront of civilization. So - noting her disappointment - Marlow tells his... middle of paper... man is a civilizer, she is the mother of savages. Thus, Conrad paints a male world divided between two female poles: the civilized white woman who must, for the good of society, be uninformed, and the black beast, antithesis to the order of civilization and trigger of primordial emotions. Works Cited Brantlinger, Patrick. "Heart of Darkness: Anti-Imperialism, Racism or Impressionism?" Murfin 277-298.Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Murfin 17-95.Murfin, Ross C., ed. Heart of Darkness: Comprehensive, authoritative text with biographical and historical contexts, critical history, and essays from five contemporary critical perspectives. 2nd ed. Case studies in contemporary criticism. Boston: Bedford-St. Martin's P, 1996. Smith, Johanna M. "'Too Beautiful Altogether': Ideologies of Gender and Empire in Heart of Darkness." Murfin 169-184.