The portrayal of women in the novella is sparse but significant. Marlow's aunt represents the naive public back home, while Kurtz's intended represents the lie of civilization. The African woman at the station represents the raw power of the land. A Heart of Darkness PDF is useful for a feminist reading of the text. You can easily locate and compare the scenes featuring these characters. The book is a complex web of gender, race, and power dynamics that continues to generate scholarly debate.