“It was just as though I had been let into some conspiracy – I don’t know – something not quite right; and I was glad to get out. In the outer room, the two women knitted black wool feverishly”
- The first thing that stands out about this page is the allusion to the Greek ‘Fates’. In Greek mythology, the fates are presented as old women that carry with them a spindle (Clotho who spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle, Lachesis who measured the thread of life allotted to each person with her measuring rod, and Atropos who was the cutter of the thread of life). Similarly, in this scene, we are given a detailed introduction of an ‘old woman’ who is knitting “black wool” at a “feverish pace” – bearing a resemblance to the traditional description of the fates. She is later described as “uncanny and fateful”, which provides further evidence that a comparison is being made.
– The fact that it is “black wool” that is being spun is significant as well – considering the backdrop of colonialism in the heart of darkness, this might represent the fate/lives of the black individuals within Africa (and the Congo), this created image thus representing the extent of the power the colonizers hold over the local inhabitants. Given that Marlow feels “uneasy” in this environment, an “eerie feeling” coming over him, and that the atmosphere is stated to be “ominous”, there is an element of foreshadowing as to Marlow’s future thoughts on colonialism, and the stance the book will be taking on the issue.
– If we’re to go down that line of thinking, something to point out is how they’re “feverishly” knitting away at the black wool. This adds to the image and what it represents, indicative of the sheer mass of lives that are being controlled/affected because of colonialism. The use of ‘feverishly” as opposed to say “furiously” also implies the idea of sickness/disease, as though the action that is being performed that isn’t natural (a further criticism of colonialism?)
– I also like that the old lady has an “indifferent placidity” to her – idea that the colonizers don’t care about the ethical ramifications of what they are doing, aren’t moral individuals?
- Something else that’s interesting to consider is how there are two women, one young and one old. The ‘Norns’ (the Norse equivalent to the Fates) were often described to be three women – one that is youthful, one that is middle-aged, and one that is old. Another layer to the allusion on this page.
