“On account of that shrinking delicacy, which exists side by side with aggressive brutality in masculine nature, the inquiries into her circumstances had not been pushed very far. She had checked them by a variable compression of the lips and some display of an emotion determined to be eloquently silent. And the men would become suddenly incurious, after the manner of their kind...The tears of that large female in a dark dusty wig, and ancient silk dress festooned with dingy white cotton lace, wear the tears of genuine distress. She had wept because she was heroic and unscrupulous and full of love for both of her children. Girls frequently get sacrificed to the welfare of boys. In this case she was sacrificing Winnie. By the suppression of truth she was slandering her. Of course, Winnie was independent, and needed not care for the opinion of people that she would never see and who would never see her; whereas poor Stevie had nothing in the world he could call his own except his mother’s heroism and unscrupulousness.” (Conrad 149-150)
“On account of that shrinking delicacy, which exists side by side with aggressive brutality in masculine nature, the inquiries into her circumstances had not been pushed very far.”-----> Brutality suggests the inhumanity of men. Nature, is in a way a word that women use to make the brutality sound natural and fair.
“She had wept because she was heroic and unscrupulous and full of love for both of her children. Girls frequently get sacrificed to the welfare of boys. In this case she was sacrificing Winnie.”-----> When Winnie’s mother gave Winnie up to Mr. Verloc it made her mother heroic. The adjective unscrupulous refers to the morals that Winnie’s mother had to go against for the benefit of her children. Sacrificed suggests how girls surrender themselves for the benefit of the boys.
“whereas poor Stevie had nothing in the world he could call his own except his mother’s heroism and unscrupulousness.”-----> The word “nothing” shows what society sees when they see someone like Stevie. They see them even more disadvantaged than women because people like Stevie depend on women to take care of them.
Although men are controlling, brutal, dominant, and in a way greater than women,Conrad presents to the reader how heroic, loving and selfless women are. By setting up this contrast of men and women, Conrad introduces how Stevie and others like him are even more disadvantaged than women.
Men are controlling because they, without realizing, “force” women to marry them if women want to live a decent, standard life. Men can live a decent, standard life with or without a woman, creating their overall dominance. Because they lead, they get to be brutal. Conrad writes that there is an “aggressive brutality in masculine nature” (Conrad 149). The word “nature” suggests to the reader that because it’s natural it makes being brutal and inhuman to women fair. They can be brutal because they have nothing to lose. While this goes on women have to learn to be heroic and loving. Conrad writes, “she was heroic and unscrupulous and full of love for both of her children. Girls frequently get sacrificed to the welfare of boys” (Conrad 150). When Winnie’s mother gave Winnie up to Mr. Verloc, she earned the title of heroic. This made her heroic because she was brave enough to give her child away to some man she barely knew. Winnie also showed bravery when she sacrificed herself for her mother and brother so they can also have a decent life. This suggests how girls surrender themselves for the benefit of the boys.
Stevie on the other hand is described as nothing. Due to his limited mobility, and mental state, he is categorized as even more disadvantaged than women. Conrad showed this to his readers by writing, “Poor Stevie had nothing in the world he could call his own except his mother’s heroism and unscrupulousness” (Conrad 150). Writing this shows the reader how Stevie depends on his mother. For a man to depend on his mother who is a women is really low, lower than women depending on men. It’s ironic how men are showed as this dominant being, but when it comes to one of their “own” who is different from the rest, and quoted to be a “weak-minded creature,” automatically fall under women.
Conrad, Joseph. "The Secret Agent." Toronto, Ontario: Broadview Editions, 2009. Print.
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