Heart of Darkness A striking contrast in the story "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad is the differences between the two women that Kurtz is involved with. His intended, a white woman who waits faithfully for him in Europe, and his fiery African mistress help to reinforce the themes and ideas in the story. The two main female characters can be seen as symbols of the contrast between light and darkness. Kurtz's mistress is "savage …showed first 75 words of 393 total…

…showed last 75 words of 393 total…eam world. Despite their differences, Kurtz's two women lovers in "Heart of Darkness" function as blank pages that Joseph Conrad can use to depict the removal from reality that he sees in women at the turn of the century. One, the African lover, represents darkness and the raw savageness of Africa, while the other, Kurtz's Intended, portrays trust and naivety of European women. These portrayals add to the themes and ideas from the story.