The two women that Marlow meets in “the sepulchral city” before he sets off for Africa are in a way more symbols than characters. These women – one fat, one thin, one old and one young – resemble the Fates seen in ancient Greek religion and mythology. This is affirmed by the fact that they are seen “knitting feverishly” in black wool – the Fates were thought to be incarnations of destiny, weaving the thread of life and death. Marlow notes an ominous feeling when around them, and that the older of the two women is “silver haired” with a “wart” and “spectacles” adds to this sense of other-worldly, knowing sagaciousness. Conrad uses the Fates to presage the moral transformation Marlow will undergo, giving us the sense that Marlow’s journey was to an extent predestined.
