Beautiful, calm, devoted, naive: these are the characteristics that men look for in a woman. This idealistic image is noted in Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness", which reinforces the fact that men expect so much from women that they set themselves up for disappointment. Women are very beautiful creatures, but they also have a mind, a soul and senses with which they can experience the world, something men have denied them for years. Through his book, Conrad, a very masculine writer, presents the story of a world where men dominate everything and therefore find it justified to take advantage of women. Its story consists primarily of three women playing major roles: Marlow's aunt, Kurtz's presumed mistress, and Kurtz's future. Playing less than significant roles, Conrad also features two women, who clearly reflect an allusion to the Fates of Greek mythology, knitting black wool in the company's offices in Europe and, among Kurtz's possessions, a highly controversial painting depicting a blindfolded woman holding a torch. To be a woman these days is to be strong, dedicated and intelligent; however, during the era of imperialism, the characteristics expected of a woman were very different. A woman was most cherished for her obedience, usefulness and silence. In other words, a great woman would be one who is seen rather than heard. Evidence of this fact is first noted in Marlow's description of what he saw in the image from Kurtz's film Intended. When Marlow found a photo of her among the packet of letters left by Kurtz, he said: “[s]he looked handsome to [her]…she had a beautiful expression. [He knew] that sunlight can also be made to lie, but one felt that no amount of manipulation of light and pose could have conveyed the...... middle of paper .... .. presented is that "[While Conrad does not completely renounce this fantasy of the feminine in his writings, he does to some extent repeatedly attempt to demystify it: to expose the masculine selfishness which demands illusion" (483 ).Contrary to this statement, Conrad's entire book focuses on the journey of one man, Marlow, who constantly objects to women. By painting a woman instead of a man, Conrad establishes the idea that women ignore. the world around them and that no amount of light they try to shed on a situation will ever be enough to allow them to understand. If this does not reflect selfishness, then what is selfishness? "blindness and light are somehow linked to women and femininity[,]", Schneider states that "[n]o comparable image in Conrad's writings directly associates men with synchronous blindness and the light.” (476).