CHAPTER
V II
THE COMPLEX NARRATIVE : TECHNIQUES OF INDIRECTION
Conrad's rendering of the complex, the uncertain and
the probable of the
contingent
situation,
seen
through
the
experiences of individual dilemma in his novels, has been by
deploying
various
discovered
by
his
methods
of
narrative
self-inventive
indirection
resources.
Thereby
the
narrative process is shown to be an uncertain experience for
the modernist novelist. They include the use of a narrator
or narrators for greater flexibility, as also to render the
multiplicity of the method of inquiry by the incorporation
of a number of subsidiary narratives, episodes,accounts and
views within the larger framework of the story.
are repetitions,
Then there
juxtapositions,reversal s and inversions of
earlier notions and affirmations to convey both the positive
and the negative
aspects of experience,
falsehood,
the
necessity
subjective
experience.
All
and
the
these
the
truth and the
meaninglessness 5 of
form
part
of
the
impressionist mode. Conforming to the indeterminacies of the
philosophical
content,
the indirections and indeterminacies
of the formal aspects of the novel, also proceeding from the
imagination,
are
evident
from
the
unconventional
irrigular methods and movements of the narrative.
and
207
Conrad's
artistic
intentions
being
precisely
modernist, his method of rendering his imaginative response
to the modern experience, his own and those of others, is to
generate
such
similar
the
imaginative
techniques
of
responses -in his
indirect
and
readers.
intuitive
As
narrative
stress the emotive over the rational. The repetitive process
of overlapping impressions, images and views arranged around
the central
as of
issue,
language,
pluralism
and
this
'centripetal'
further
reJatavism
movement of narative
shows that
of
the
he subscribed to
modern approach,
the
it
also
allows Conrad to assert his conviction of the oppositional
elements
in man and his environment,
which make all
things
and situations uncertain and ambiguous.
It is believed that the development of Conrad's art
traces the
'growth of an awareness'^ of the self,
self's potentials in a crisis-oriented context.
so,
it
also
marks
a
corresponding
and the
If that is
awareness
of
the
inadequacies of the traditional forms of direct and straight­
forward
narrative
story-telling,
and
of
to express
the
conventional
the nuances
of
the
modes
'inner'
of
self
and the intricacies of the mind.
His discovery of the inadequacies of the direct and
conventional
awareness
methods
compelled
to
him
express
to
complexity
search
1. John A. Palmer, op. cit ., pp. xii-xiii.
for
and
inner
appropriate
208
imaginative
methods
which
aJ so
testify
to his
original ity
and to his effort to bring out the symbolic significance of
experience.
As
such,
when we
speak of the
indirections
his art, we have in mind the unconventional
has
developed
themes
and
and
to
used
to
project
express
the
complex
subjective conception and objective
of
multiplying
disgressions
points
and
of
the
view,
repetitions
of
methods which lie
complexity of his
connections
between
reality. The technicpjes
chronological
as part
of
his
disorders,
impressionist
2
method of his "unconventional grouping and perspective" , are
techniques which are used to suggest
render
non-]ingua!
communicated.
experience
These
artistic
and imply,
which
cannot
manipulations
and
be
and
so to
directly
deliberate
irregularities of the narrative which Donald Davidson calls
"Directed
Indirections"
uncertainties
continuities
and
and
3
help
to
haphazardness
discontinuities
convey
the
of
1ife,
with
which
confusions,
and
the
the
mod e rn
novelist concerns himself.
The use of a narratorial voice in The Nigger of the
1Narc issus 1 is the earliest
narrator
and
the
persona develops
growth
indication of the growth of
of
into Conrad's
Conrad's
valuable
art.
This
a
voice
or
narrator}Marlow
in
2. Joseph Conrad's Letter to Sydney Colvin, March 1.8, 1917
in Jean Aubrey, Joseph Conrad : Life and Letters (London,
1927).
*
3. Donald Davidson, "Conrad's Directed Indirections" in The
Sewanee Review, (Vol. 33, 1925).
209
"Heart of Darkness" and in several
tales which follow. This
internal point of view which incorporates a multiplicity of
other views and impressions,
of past and present
and those
gathered from different places, thus helps to assimilate all
the probable
approaches
to truth and to capture
"the
real
glow... from within"^.
Lord Jim
novels
in
which
conflicts
various
and
are
the
novelist
that
an
of
chronology and so on,
his
narrative
complexity.
through
the
points
the
most
past - present
Conrad's
the
ways
view,
and
in
complicates
works
reveal
towards
tales
larger novels.
in
separate
volumes
but
the
It
which
Similar techniques are also present
the shorter
of
art.
in these two novels, will
problematizes
complex
complexities
of
of
of
two
ol
the
indirection
examination
multiplies
are
intricacies
rendered
techniques
proposed
Nostromo
is
the
the
how
greater
in some of
more
so
in
the
It may be observed, that of the 'Marlow group
of novels'— Youth, Lord Jim "Heart of Darkness" and Chancein which Marlow features as one of the main narrators,
the
techniques
and
used,
particularly
in
"Heart
Lord Jim, are more or less similar.
of
views
developed
and
chronological
and defined
and
shifts
of
Darkness"
But as the multiplicity
in
as Lord Jim
Lord Jim
are
more
is technically
more
4. Joseph Conrad's Letter to Galsworthy
Aubrey,o p . cit. , Vol. I, pp. 270-71.
1899,
in G.
Jean
210
complex,
this novel
and not
"Heart
of Darkness"
has
been
Although the technique of "Heart of Darkness"
will
selected for discussion in this chapter.
not be discussed here, it must be mentioned that this is the
first work in which Conrad's originality in his concept of
the
double-plot,
surfaces.
of
a
story
Simultaneously,
observer
and
as
enclosed
the
participant
within
functions
are
of
seen
to
a
story,
narrator
work
as
towards
complexity. They also allow us to see the story of Kurtz as
Marlow's story,too, and to see both as stories of the inner
being.
Lord Jim deals with one central
situation,
that is,
Jim's jump from a ship, the 'Patna', carrying pilgrims from
the
east.
Here
Jim's
action,
involving
serious
moral
imp]ications, sparks off intense speculation and is subjected
to
a wide
various
variety
techniques
of
responses
used
for
and
interpretations.
multiplying
points
of
The
view,
the repetitions within the irregular chronology are aspects
which will be discussed.
The
enclosing
introductory
novelist
the
main
chapters
here
displays
narrative
are
his
within
presented
by
originality
another.
an
by
The
impersonal
omniscient narrator. His narrative is the outer frame within
211
which Marlow's narrative is enclosed. Marlow's narrative in
turn comprises many smaller narratives or accounts and also
incorporates
episodes,
responses
and
impressions
of
other
people as also first-hand accounts by the protagonist, Jim.
Every minor episode and
the
same
level
of
episode and account,
report is treated and presented
importance
as
therefore,
the
main
offers
issue.
a relevant
at
Every
comment,
imparts greater sharpness and depth to experience, generates
further inquiry and thus points to the ever widening range
of
experience.
diverse
Marlow
elements
creating
order
assimilates
and
and
serves
the
and
co-ordinates
novelist's
sense out of the chaos
and
the
purpose
of
disorder
of
infinite impressions.
The omniscient point of view of the early chapters
drops significant hints about Jim's nature and temperament.
It throws
light
on his
tendency
to dream
and
to
idealize
valour rather than act it out. Although in direct expository
prose,
the
aspects
frame
of Jim's
narrator's
inherent
account
drives
weakness,
bearings on the main issue.
and
The initial
the omniscient narrator's account draws
prelude
to the
becomes
symbolic
in
Conrad's
Marlow's
fatal
jump from
through
search
exploratory
for
the
home
has
crucial
significant
delayed
jump which
attention to,
'Patna'—
a jump
is a
which
repetition and assumes centrality
Jim's
narrative,
essential
which
nature
follows.
through
The
frame
212
narrator's point of view thus covers the factual information
of Jim's boyhood and training period, and his voyage on the
'Patna' as second mate. It takes us through the events which
eventually lead to his new job as a water-clerk.
Marlow's narative takes over at the point when Jim
is to appear for trial
change
of
narrators
vie w \
At
this
not
yet
before a court of inquiry.
marks
stage,
records
important
Marlow's direct
established.
therefore,
an
The
his
early
limited
mostly speculative in nature,
part
and
shift
And this
in point
of
contact with Jim
is
of
his
uncertain
narrative,
impressions,
about the sort of person Jim
might be. Jim, to all appearances, looks trustworthy and yet
he is guilty of irresponsibility. The forbidding quality in
his cold reserve creates doubts in Marlow's mind that Jim's
appearance is deceptive and that there is a lot more to be
>
known about this strangely elusive character.
Understandably, Marlow cannot be possessed of every
facet
relating
meetings
and
to
Jim's
life
observations.
and
By
nature
the
from
author's
his
chance
contrivance
Marlow is made to rely on fragments of accounts received at
various
intervals,
labyrinthine
which
narrative.
find
Marlow's
their
way
narrative,
into
broken
the
at
intervals,brings in accounts of other related incidents such
as Brierly's,
Bob Stanton's,
the French officer's,
5. H.M. Daleski, op. cit., p. 78.
Stein's
213
and so on, which may have occurred
at different
moments of
time before or after Jim's trial. Such is Conrad's habit, as
Donald Davidson says, "to twist events out of their regular
order,
to
turn
them
completely
makes the narrative
around" . It
'labyrinthine'
is
and complex
this
and
that
renders
the approach to meaning very intricate. For as each view or
account contradicts or reverses the earlier one,
sustains
the
active
curiosity
and
suspense of
the method
the
readers
about the indeterminable situation.
The point to be made is, that
is
a simple
which
one,
it
is
the
although
novelist's
Jim's
narratorial
makes it so complex. We are now to see how
of"chronological
story
method
at the cost
proximity"^ and at the risk of
"clarity of
Q
narrative" , Conrad achieves the objectives which a straight­
forward linear logocentric narrative is not capable of.
From
events,
fatal
the
the point
Jim's
jump,
novel
voyage
on
precedes
his
starts
narrative, Jim's
society
of
precede
with
view
the
chronological
‘Patna’
Jim
trial
as
a
order
culminating
situation as
wanderings
the
of
in
a water-clerk.
water
clerk.
In
of
the
But
the
in search of a secure place in
at
the
Court
of
Inquiry.
But
chronologically speaking, it takes place some time after the
6. Donald Davidson, "Joseph Conrad's Directed Indirections"
in The Sewanee Review, (Vol. 33, 1925 April), p. 163.
7. Norman Page, A Conrad Companion, (Macmillan,
Basingstoke, 1986), p. 99.
8. Donald Davidson, op. cit. , p. 171..
London
and
214
inquiry,
which
disorder
in
follows
the
the
desertion
opening
and
of
closing
the
ship.
chapters
Ihe
of
the
omniscient view certainly offers scope for projecting Jim's
situation as ironically ludicrous.
9
Marlow's
full
narrative
"focussing
of breaks and digressions.
alluding
to
certain
events
until
much
'Patna'
later.
mishap
For
and
the
the
past,
rest
instance,
the
the
hidden"
Marlow is in the habit
in
something and then withholding
on
of
when
abandoned
of
the
is
of
suggesting
information
speaking
about
pilgrims,
the
Marlow's
information is abrupt and incomplete. His cryptic references
to a "mysterious cable message" and to "the naked t r u t h " ^
which
he does
Technically
not' disci os e , generate
speaking,
this
manner
a lot
of
curiosity.
of holding back crucial
information enhances the suspense of the drama and makes the
rest of Marlow's narrative increasingly speculative.
Albert Guerard's comments in this direction help us
to understand what Inis author intends Marlow to be :
Conrad gives truly free play to his temperamental
evasiveness,
distorted
Marlow
and to his delight in degression and
perspective.
at
his
most
And...
we
are
exasperatingly
exposed
roundabout
to
:
refusing to tell us the few facts we need to know,
...
and
offering
a complex
flow
9. H.M. Daleski, o p . cit., p. 78.
10. Joseph Conrad, Lord J i m , p. 35.
of
thought
and
215
feeling over a situation of which we know next to
nothing
11
The atmosphere of suspense,in the context of withdrawn infor­
mation,forms an apt background,wherein the subtle undertones
of
digressive
comments
and
complex
flow
of
thought
and
feeling work towards increasing ambiguities of character and
situation and the bewildering confusion of the reader.
Jim
is
rendered
elusive,
his condition puzzling.
that Marlow is in possession of "a little more"
incident,
that is,
more than the others,
point of view will
The fact
about the
suggests that his
be a cautious probing below the surface
of the matter to the fundamental
this, again, explains
superficial
For
factual
the
one
source of the problem. And
shifting
of
the
view-point
omniscient
from
voice
to
the
an
introspective and exploring search of the uncertain Marlow.
Following
upon
his
brief
account
of
events
and
impressions before the inquiry, Marlow refers to the 'Patna*
and briefly recounts how the ship hit against
he withholds
or
centre
the details of Jim's
around
which
Marlow's
jump,
a wreck.
But
the dominant motif
narrative
circles
with
tentative explanations. Then comes the account of the trial ,
the verdict of the Court of inquiry, and Jim's disgrace. The
narrative is then interrupted by Marlow recalling his conver11. Albert Guerard, o p . cit. , p. 134.
12. Joseph Conrad, Lord J i m , p. 40.
216
sation with Jim earlier, and Jim's first-hand information of
his action.
The delaying
tactics are obviously deployed
to
create a sort of urgent curiosity to know the hows and whys
of the whole baffling question.
As
"a
receptacle
of
confessions"
and
"infernal
confidences" 13 , Marlow is possessed of an infinite deal
confused data pertaining to Jim's case.
and
pieces
arguments
of
information
are inferential,
received
not so
are filled
Basing on the bits
from
others,
logical,
disrupt the regular flow of narrative.
of
Marlow's
and constantly
The gaps in narrative
in by such minor accounts of similar
incidents—
tests of personality— involving minor figures and occurring
at
different
points
"chronological
time
and
place.
This
method
of
looping"^ which Ian Watt discusses at length
with reference
the
of
to Lord Jim
juxtaposing
of
15
varying
, applies
to the way
attitudes
and
in which
responses
to
similar events of crisis, which actually happen in different
points of time,
All
of
the
provide
minor
ways of studying the central
characters
—
Brierly,
Bob
issue.
Stanton,
the
French officer, Chester, Stein, Cornelius, Brown and others—
13. Ibid, p . 34.
14. Joseph
Warren
Beach,
The Twentieth Century Novel ,
(Appl eton-Century-Crof ts , New York, 1932 ) , p~! 364 .
15. Ian Watt, Conrad in the Nineteenth Century . (Berkeley,
Los Angeles, 1979 ) , pp. 286-304.
217
whether
by
reactions
similarities
or
differences
of
motives
remind us of the recurrence, in Conrad's
of "the figure who jumps out of a conventional
and
fiction,
and ordered
way of 1 if e " ^ .
The
assorted
indeterminacy
accounts
help
introduce
regarding Jim's case. The
further
realistic views
of
the French Lieutenant, Chester, Cornelius and Brown, and the
idealistic
relate
ones
to
of
and
Brierly
also
and
Slien
illuminate,
a nd
some
of
Marlow
aspects
of
too,
Jim's
personality or the implication of his jump. And the question
which
every
point
of
view
tries
in
vain
to
answer
is,
whether Jim is a hero or a coward. This triggers off other
related
doubts
and
queries
about
the
authenticity
of
the
seaman's prescribed code of conduct and the appropriateness
of the verdict of the court.
In the course of the
account of the
digresses to reflect on Brierly,
And
that
is
one
responsibility
and
honour
bound
against him.
effort
to
point
one
of
who
keep
his
Jim
initial
away, as
Marlow
the judge in Jim's
trial.
view.
adheres
to condemn Jim's
But
trial,
Brierly,
to
the
action and
reluctance
also
his
a
code,
man
of
is
by
to pass verdict
to do
so
and
his
suicide, expose
the
apprehensions of the 'self*, its inherent weakness under the
conditions of a test when reviewing the same conditions of
another.
16. Norman page, o p . cit. , p. 92.
218
Marlow's
account
of
his
conversation
with
Jim
is
broken at places to compare Jim's situation, first, with the
two Malay helmsmen of the 'Patna' who continue to steer the
wheel
in crisis while Jim jumps into safety,
the young Bob Stanton who dies
save
a drowning
and the heroism
and then with
heroically while
woman.
The
of Bob
Stanton
trying
to
responsibility of the helmsmen
are
part
of
the
conscious
design to mock Jim's heroic idealism and sense of honour. A
lengthy
digression,
conversation
with
thereafter,
the
French
deals
officer
with
which
Marlow's
actually
took
place a few years after Jim's trial. He is the man who had
been entrusted with the responsibility of
towing the ship,
with its pilgrims, to Aden. The officer's opinion provides a
realistic view of Jim's action by endorsing the professional
verdict against Jim. As one who truly honours
French officer
is thus projected
as
the code the
an antithesis
to Jim.
His view-point clearly shows that courage is something to be
acted out, not to be dreamt about. Marlow's response to this
view
is ambiguous.
His
critical
insight
repeatedly
finds
Jim guilty. At the same time, Marlow's romantic temperament
and sympathetic
act
from
the
approach tends to uphold and justify Jim's
point
of
view
of
self-preservation.
This
attitude also brings out the ambiguity of the fixed standard
of conduct.lt makes us,too,doubt the validity of similar rules
and principles conventionally followed.
219
As the narrative
Jim's confessions
own
uncertain
moves
and doubts,
responses
to
forward
to give us more of
Marlow pauses
Jim
and
to
to
review his
analyse
his
own
integrity. As he does so, he abruptly jumps forward in time
to describe his
last view of Jim in Patusan. The narrative
then moves backward again to give us glimpses of Jim running
from one job to another and the various reactions as points
of view.
One
Chester.
His view is that of the practical
the
moral
is that of the Australian
implications
of
Jim's
case.
adventure-
seeker,
man who ignores
His
view, although
realistic,is thus different from that of the French officer,
but it makes us aware of Jim's impractical nature. And later
Jim's life in Patusan is clear proof of the impracticability
of his vision.
Marlow's
episode
story
which, in
approaches,
then
goes
fundamental
provides
on
to
contrast
include
to
the
Stein
the
realistic
an idealistic view of Jim's
situation
and leaves out the realistic implications. His abstractions,
"deriving from superior wisdom and infinite capabilities"^,
indirectly bring out the paradox of Jim's situation. Stein's
advice to submit to "the destructive element"and to "follow
the
dream"
suggest
the
possibilities
of
romantic
life.
But Stein, himself an example of man living out his dream,
is
also
an
instance
of
the
contradictions
inherent
17. F.R. Karl and Marvin Magalaner, o p . cit. , p. 53.
18. Joseph Conrad,
Lord J im,
214.
in
220
romantic
Jim's
man.
life
In the next
in
Patusan,
few chapters
and
speaks
Marlow deals
of
the
with
effects
of
immersing in his dream. His oral narrative ends here.
The final
last
few
stages of Jim's
chapters
show
Conrad's
rendering experience at several
The
final
chapters
life as presented in the
exceptional
distances
The
portion
comprising
of written narrative
encounters
Gentleman
Brown
from
the
of
reader.
are in the form of a letter written by
Marlow to an unnamed person.
several
technique
up
and
to
Jewel
letter
reveals
accounts
his
death,
are
after
Jim's
death.
that
this
of Jim's
supplied
This
by
method
works towards heightened dramatic intensity; and in spite of
the authorial
if Jim's
distance,
encounters
it produces a sense of immediacy as
are
taking
place
in
the
present.
The
extremes of indirection may be observed from the manner in
which
the
omniscient
narrator
receipient of the letter,
introduces
who then
us
reads out
to
the
the contents
containing events of a much earlier date, events narrated to
Marlow who again narrates it in the letter.
Brown's
account,
aspects
of
Jim's
earlier
expectations.
as an illumination of the
nature,
The
works
towards
juxtaposition
the
of
weaker
reversal
Jim's
life
of
in
Patusan against realists like Cornelius and Gentleman Brown,
is an instance of counterpointing the ideal against the real
221
at a stage when Jim's image of his heroism and his apparently
secure position as 'Tuan Jiin' in Patusan reach a high point;
and
this
enables
the
novelist
to
expose,
through
the
reversals experienced by Jim, the iiJusoriness of ideals and
the unreality of dreams.
Lord Jim thus typifies Conrad's narrating technique
with the use of Marlow who is not only a narrator but also
an actor with a consciousness.
and
views
of
sensibility"
of
19
perception,
"figures
more
For all the minor accounts
limited
in
their
own
moral
come to us through his consciousness, or mode
which
may
be
co-ordinator of multiple views
symbolic
or
ironic.
and impressions,
As
a
he is the
unifying factor of the structure of the novel. This aspect
has also been commented upon by John A Palmer 20 . Robert F.
Haugh
shows,
narrators
Marlow's
and
too,
that
characters
narrative,
finds
the
abundance
within
a place
the
of
major
a
number
of
division
of
in the design,
even
as
these characters complicate the process of search; and each
character
orchestrates
intensity
to the whole
action
21
as
many
facets,
to give
structure of meanings
depth
and
around Jim's
. The numerous approaches which are treated "on the
19. John A. Palmer, op. cit., p. 33.
20. Ibid, p. 34.
21. Robert F. Waugh, "The Structure of 'Ford Jim'" in
College Fng1Ish,(Vo I . 13, Oct.'51- May'52), pp . 123-141.
222
same plane of reality"
carries
into
episodes...
imparts
but
as the main event, show how Conrad
practice
the
his
effect
of
firm
to
numerous
Marlow's
approaches
repetitive
extensively,
another,
that
not
search
also
pattern.
depends"
only
for
Hillis
way
in
the
central
issue
by
revealing
repetition
of
realistic
rearranging of chronology
and
24
Besides,
the
to
a
explained
episode
by similarity or contrast, provides
he
personality
has
one
the
how
attention
Miller
which
"Upon
, and
to Jim's
our
explanations behind the visible facts
of
23
meaning.
invite
J.
the
conviction—
reality
symbolic dimensions
also
into
22
repeats
deeper
the
insight
possible
. Clearly the pattern
idealistic
views,
the
and the variations of action and
scene, allows
the novelist
to exploit
points of view to an
extreme
to
vivid
convincing
and
convey
a
and
sense
of
reality of his fictional world.
Although
critics
such
as
Albert
Guerard
and
John
Gordon complain of lack of control and extreme haphazardness
in
Lord Jim,
Blackwood
method
Conrad
himself
explained
in
a
: "I know exactly what I am doing...
based
on
deliberate
convictions"
25
letter
to
This
is my
. Conrad's
major
22. Donald Davidson, o p . cit., p. 168.
23. William Blackburn e d ., Joseph Conrad, Letters to William
Blackwood and David S Meld rum , (Du rna m , North CaroTTna ,
1958), p. 170.
24. J.
Hillis
Miller,
Fiction and Repetition,
Blackwell, Oxford, 1982)"^ p p . J5-40.
25. William Blackburn, (ed.), o p . cit. , p. 154.
(Basil
223
concern
to
carry
the
story
forward
faster
and with
great
intensity (which Ford has mentioned), is served well by his
very
technique
of
irreguJar
chronology
and
interrupted
narrative. To that extent, Conrad's technique and narrative
method
are
control
of
the
modernist
disorderly
manifestations
and
chaotic
of
his
artistic
of
artistic
material,
order and unity out of the unmanageable diversity.
In conclusion it may be said that despite the fairly
viable internal chronology of Lord Jim which J.E.
worked
out,
classical
action.
26
, Lord Jim
unity
The
increasing
of
is
a definite
narrative
form,
irreguJar
chronology
perspectives
which
fanner has
departure
of
and
from
the
place
and
shifting
and
time,
the
complicate
rather
than
simplify, are consciously designed to convey the impressions
of what happens when the tidy sequence of regulated life is
disturbed, when settled feelings are threatened. The purpose
is
to
stress
the
complexities
and
indefiniteness
and
irregularities of such a life. In the course of his artistic
inquiry
into
Jim's
experience,
Conrad
here
with and enters the world of complex art.
it becomes more complex;
this will
comes
to
grips
As his art develops
be seen from a study of
the technique of Nostromo, published four years after Lord
Jim.
26. J.E. Tanner, "The Chronology and Enigmatic End of Lord
Jim", in Nineteenth Century Fiction, (Vol . 2, 1966),
pp.369-380.
When
speaking
of
a
new
complex
technique
Conrad, Nostromo strikes one as the most Intricate,
from
the
wide
technical
ranging
experiment
criticism
with
an
it
has
unduly
evoked.
large
into
a
comprehensive
Joseph Conrad : Giant in Exile
account
(1962)
27
by
judging
Conrad's
perspective^
including diverse aspects of private and community
summarised
in
Leo
1 ife is
Gurko
. Broadly
in
speaking,
the story of modernization in Costaguana is mirrored through
the
individual
effort.
The
stories
diverse
of
men
stories
engaged
intersect
in
at
the
community
points,
and
are
combined into a complexity. The mine with the silver is the
uni fyi ng f act or both in theme and s t r u c t u r e , for nl 1 the
individuals arc directly or indirectly Involved with it.
Conrad
multiplicity
of
aims
at
an
experiences
artistic
by
cohesion
a system
of
multiple
and ambiguous
connotations,
the
repetition
motifs, whereby the silver assumes a centrality,
acquires
of
even as it
because
"its
place in men's purposes and interests is many and varied"
Conrad
goes
on
to
show
this
through
of
a complex
28
narrative
taking pains to maintain a unified structure.
The story comes to us through several
voices. David
Dfilehes thus nul er, :
27. Leo
Gurko,
Joseph Conrad, Giant in Lxile,
London, 1962), p . T4T7~
(Muller,
28. Paul B. Armstrong, "Conrad's Contradictory Politics
The Ontology of Society in Nost romo" in Twentieth
Century Literature, (Vol. 31, 1985), p. 7.
The variety of volrcs which toll the story ol
the
novel are, like the shifts in time and the putting
together
of
the
narrative
through
a
complex
pattern of retrospect and contemporaniety, devices
29
to achieve... completeness and objectivity
Jacques Berthoud likewise holds that in Nostromo, as in The
Secret Agent
protagonist
equally
later on,
doubled
prominent
we
by
confront
a single
individuals,
"not
narrator
just
but
each of whom
a
single
a number
is
of
repeatedly
called upon to comment on his fellow"^.
The
rivalry
story
and
is
set
within
socio-economic
in
the
context.
the
background
dimensions
Here,
of
Conrad
of
political
an
unstable
explores
the
contradictions and uncertain fate of men who "surrender
to
the incorrigible and ironical necessity of the 'idea1" ^ ,
of
men who discover their personal motives through their public
roles.
And
this
is
done
through
dialogue,
comments
and
reflections of the multiple protagonists with, and upon, one
another. The narrative procedure, extremely haphazard,
includes
events
biographical
in
the
and
present
historical
and
to
accounts
also
relevant
the understanding
of
to
a
character's experience.
29. David Daiches, op. cit. , p. 50.
30. Jacques Berthoud, o p . cit., p. 94.
31. Robert Penn Warren, "Nostromo"
(Vol . LIX, 1951) , p. 377 .
in
the Sewanee Review,
Here,
there
is no such character
as a
'Marlow'
to
serve as the internal point of view. Rather, Conrad's method
in Nostromo is, to quote J.A. Palmer,"an almost frictionless
counterpoint of private reflections as if a dozen Marlows at
once
were
trying
Charles Gould
idealism
"Heart
is
of
is
to
comprehend
"the moral
worked
out, not
Darkness" and
Costaguana
politics"
agent of the society"
by
psychological
Lord Jim,
but
by
33
depth
its
32
whose
as
in
effect
on
others.
Although
Conrad
narrator for a substantial
does
part
make
of
use
the
of
an
anonymous
novel , he
does
restrict himself to it as the sole point of view.
not
Decoud's
comments on characters such as Gould and Nostromo and parti­
cularly his letter to his sister, afford valuable view-points
and
add
to
Monygham's
the
pace and
role
significant
Mitchell's
is
similarly
aspects
of
unimaginative
narrative
is
provides
another
superficial
structure
the
of
the
conceived
major
account
narrative.
to
illuminate
characters.
at various
points
Captain
in
retrospective with a futuristic optimism,
views
angle
are
of
intended
vision.
to
By
highlight
Dr.
contrast,
the
wide
the
and
his
gap
between expectation and achievement, between private visions
and concrete results.
32. John A. Palmer, op. cit. , p. 158.
33. ibid, p. 152.
227
It
has
been
shown
Conrad, The Major Phase
method
started
with
by
Jacques
(1978),
Berthoud
that
Lord J i m , and
the
Conrad's
in
Joseph
piuralization
impressionistic
technique is carried to the farthest extreme in Nost romp, as
may
be
judged
socio-political
from Conrad's
context
for
exploitation
maximised
of
the
perspectives.
The
protagonists are a motley group of heterogenous elements— of
cultural,
economic
and
psychological
Gould the Englishman educted
differences.
in Italy pursues
Charles
an iealistic
policy for the material welfare of Costaguana. Martin Decoud
is a Costaguanian
Don
Avellanos,
propagandist
back from France,
a venerable
offering
a sceptic
Costaguanian,
impractical
is
to the core.
a
theoretical
propositions.
Nostromo,
the Italian-born sailor thrives on his popular image. Emelia
Gould
in
her
position
as
first
lady
of
Sul aco
devotes
herself to the humanitarian cause of social welfare. Besides
these, Conrad makes use of a group of subordinate characters
of
different
Mitchell,
origins
Sotillo
the
and
rebel,
occupations
Hirsch
the
such
as
adventure
Captain
seeker,
the Viola family and others who are no less functional to the
integral
impressionist
into the motives
pattern,
and interacting
and
in
forces
providing
insight
at work behind
the
scene.
The
narrator , is
opening
a
chapter , given
straight-forward
through
the
introduction
impersonal
to
the
228
background
setting
impenetrability,
of
Sulaco,
stressing
its geographical
advantages to resist external
barrier
aggression.
its
isolation
and
and
topographical
The legend of the
Azuera treasure adds force and meaning to the forbidding yet
compelling selling. The course of events soon prove, however
ironically,
that
activities
of
SuJaco
becomes
imperial
the
ventures,
centre
and
the
of
modernizing
seat
of
intense
dramatic
actions
power politics.
Conrad
involving
then
the
proceeds
major
to
protagonists,
presentation of the vast panorama
processes.
the
beginning
of
social
with
his
and political
By his unique method of isolating experience,
he
works out the stories of individual crisis, and the reigning
antagonisms
between
private
feeling
and public
image.
Here
again we see his characteristic mode— the dexterous use of a
broken
chronology,
synthesis"
3
of
Warren describes
and
his
sense
as
"a
unusual
impressions,
complex
"chromatic scale of attitudes"
Here,
more
than
in
cated chronology operates,
and forward
to give us
of
35
skill
which
personal
the
"formal
Robert
stories"
Penn
and
a
in a changing context.
Lord J i m , a
as
in
the
much
narrative
more
hurls
an over-abundance of names,
compli­
backward
events,
34. Edward
Crankshaw, Joseph Conrad : Some Aspects of the
Art of the Novel , (1936 ), (2nd e d n . , Mactnil 1 an London and
Basingstoke, 1976), p . 170.
35. Robert Penn Warren, o p . c i t . , p. 381.
229
places,
facts
and
information,
sequence. The mythical
in
an
alarmingly
confused
timelessness of the first chapter and
the lofty omniscient voice is rep]aced in the second chapter
by
Captain
Mitchell's
commentary,
takes us into events of a past,
which is not known except
narrative.
but
by vague
For instance mention
in
is
the
present,
the natural
which
order
of
indications within his
made
that
Ribiera,
the
President of the Republican government "had come", and that
the mule
"expired"
discourse,
and
so
and that Mitchell
on
in
a
mixed
"would"
carry on the
36
tenseJ . This
past
followed by an account of Nostromo's heroic feat of
is
holding
back the rebellious crowd and of saving Ribiera by escorting
him to safety.
The
same
account
contains
indications
of
a
revolution,
but not of the date when it occurred.
And the
account,
little
against
Ribiera,
The
third
a
implies
and
later, of
political
fourth
a
popular
instability
chapters
uprising
in
Costaguana.
continue to deal
with
the
events of the same day, although a major part is devoted to
the introduction of the Viola household.
narrative goes
back in time to fill
family history and biography.
break
out
in
Sulaco,
the
The course of the
in the details of the
We also learn
family
that
expectantly
as
awaits
riots
the
arrival of Nostromo, whom they look up to as their saviour.
36. Joseph Conrad, Nostromo, p. 11.
230
Giorgio
Viola,a staunch
physically
mental
alive
in
flashbacks
follower
of
Garibaldi,
the
present,
is
revealed
a
glorious
Italian
of
digressions. Viola represents the
serves
by
contrast
to
expose
the
through
past
idealisms
although
in
his
simple
of a past and
contradictions
in
the
chapters
are
revolutionary motivation in Costaguana politics.
The
simple
digressions
of
the
early
followed by a more complex chronology in the fifth chapter.
An abrupt shift backward in time— some eighteen months from
the outbreak of the riots— describes a dinner in celebration
of
the
"turning
Railway;
a
circumstances
of
the
further
first
sod"
digression
relating
to
37
of
updates readers
the acquisition of
purpose, possibly some time before the arrival
Gould
in Sulaco.
heroism
A note
completes
narrative
further
furnishes
back
on
another
the chapter,
a
in time,
third
the
of General
not before
retrospective
Montero and
on
the
for
the
of the elder
of Nostromo's
but
person
land
National
his
acts of
Conrad's
account,
growing
power.
This and subsequent chapters of Part I of the novel
made
up
of
short
scenes
and
events,
are
expository
in
nature. Obviously it is with'the purpose of connecting the
thematically relevant scenes at different points of time and
place,
and to achieve a powerful concentration of effects,
37. Ibid, p. 38.
231
of
the
major
complications,
that
Conrad
resorts
to
variations of the chronological
order. We can perhaps agree
with Maggie
sceptical
give
TomiIson
expression
motives
to
that
the
his
disillusioned
and of the corroding
Conrad's
vision
need
of
influence of passing
to
human
time
on
human ideals, made him use to advantage the oblique methods
of
modern
fiction
"involving
complexity
rather
than
O O
summarizeabl e simplicity"
. He was
personal vision of "successful
out
action"
to prove
that
is inevitably
the
mixed
up with motives which lead to "the moral degradation of the
39
idea"
; and
that
it
is
"impossible
to disentangle
one's
activity from its debasing contacts"^.
Such being
the novelist's
intention,
his narrative
in the final chapters of Part I moves back in time from the
riots
and
the
dinner;
background history
provides
his
lines
by
pians
shifts
Gould.
It
to
is
Italy
a scene
for
a
which
information of his father's death and
of
reopening
shifting of time
scene
of Charles
the crucial
future
the
reconstructing
the
mine.
and place
Costaguana
Thereafter,
in a number
on
through
of
modern
frequent
scenes,
Conrad
fills in details of the earlier functioning of the mine and
38. Maggie Tomilson, "Conrad's Integrity; Nostromo.Typhoon
and Shadow Line" in Critical Review, 1962^ p”! 4 l .
39. Joseph Conrad Nost romo, p. 521.
40. Ibid, p. 360.
232
the various
problems
hearing
of
Gould's
the
reader,
plans,
faced
in the past.
engagement
almost
to
Immediately
Emelia
absurdly,
and
his
meets
after
future
the
couple,
supposedly after a year or so of their marriage, in the next
scene
in
conversation
in
their
Sulaco
home
entertainment of the American millionare,
ingenious
after
Holroyd.
Conrad's
technique of introducing more digressions
their conversation,
their
within
enables him to furnish further data of
Gould's previous meeting with llol royd at San Fransisco, and
of the American interest in the mining project.
A few more
scenes, without specific hints to location in time, cover the
history
of
the
San
Tome'
mine
and
its
reactivation,
including the development of the mining organization and its
increasing
economic
value
in
the
material
prosperity
of
Costaguana. The narrative then switches over to the scene of
the dinner on board the O.S.N. ship 'Juno1.
It
may
seem
unusual
of
General
Ribiera5inaugurating the celebrations on the 'Juno'
to mark
the installation of the
that
the
railway, should
account
be preceded
by the
description of Ribiera's flight which actually happens after
the
dinner.
But
this
is
just
one
instance
of
Conrad's
skilful manipulation of time-schemes for powerful effects of
his irony. By giving incomplete and piecemeal
information of
the same event at different points of narrative development,
Conrad keeps the reader's curiosity alive. At the same time
the method ensures that the significance of the event is not
233
clouded
by excessive
details
at one
stroke.
For
artistic reason, iL is seen that events preceding
flight
feature
revealing
the
in
the
complex
second
part
relationship
of
the
between
the
same
Ribiera's
novel,
too,
characters
and
S LtuaL* Ions .
The detached
narrative
of
the
initial
Part II recounts the history of Costaguana.
chapters
of
It is filled in
with relevant details from the past such as Dr. Monygham's
escapade during the tyrannical
regime of Guzman Bento,
and
thus illuminates the doctor's nature and present condition.
Working forward into the
present, Conrad then describes Don
Jose' AvelJanos's propaganda against dictatorship,
by
and
an account
Charles
of
the Republican government
Gould's
support
to
it
in
followed
under Ribiera,
the
interests
of
Costaguana.
A shift
the
Monterist
after
the
in narrative
uprising
dinner.
In
point of view then describes
which
actually
this
connection
occurs
six
General
months
Barrios'
departure to Cayta to supress the rebellion is mentioned in
the scene at the harbour, but no time is indicated here.
is only after about
sixty pages,
that the information
It
that
it takes place on the day before the uprising, is brought to
us.
At
times,
therefore,
the
practically
lost. When he does
difficulty,
for
as
in
this
reader's
sense
regain it,
case,
the
of
time
is
it is with great
information
comes
indirectly through n conversation nt n recept ion held nt the
Casa Gould on the same night.
conversation,
information,
between Decoud
Incidentally
and Mrs. CouJd which provides
among other things,
Separation movement, and one
occasion,
finds
place
in
another crucial
of Decoud1s plans
for
the
which takes place on the same
the
narrative
only indirectly mentioned in Decoud's
much
later.
It
is
letter to his sister
written on the second day of the uprisings.
Decoud's
narrative
point
narrator.
From
letter
of
marks
view
this
a
from
point,
significant
that
the
of
diverse
shift
the
in
third
events,
the
person
views
and
reflections converge towards a more coherent sequence; it is
a point made by many critics . Albert Guerard
the
disruption
in
chronology
being
observes
considerably
that
reduced,
readers now gain a better sense of the time element. Here is
an instance of Conrad's
indirect
reference
to time
in the
letter : "It was not so quiet around here yesterday. We had
an
awful
riot— a sudden outbreak of the populace which was
not suppressed till
late today". The letter further contains
accounts of events of t 'o days preceding,
and brings a lot
of relevant matter up to date besides offering comments
other
characters,
and
reflecting
Decoud's own
mind— the isolating predicament of sceptical
The
narrative
then
proceeds
on
course beginning with Nnstromo's arrival
on
disturbed
man.
a straight-forward
at the Casa Viola
235
where Decoud
waits for him,
upto their fateful
and swiftly traces
the events
journey on the Gulf PJaccido.
Barring a
few minor shifts in chronology, the rest of the narrative in
this part of the novel
is more or less straight-forward.
The difficulties
faced
by Albert Guerard in trying
"to disentangle the time-scheme of Nost romo"^ * leads him to
observe
that
the
biggest
problem
is
that
of
locating
actual present of the story from among lhe several
the
probable
presents which the confused narrative suggests. This proves
that any search in the early part of the novel will offer no
idea
of the sequence of events as they actually occur,
deprive
the
reader
of
a
steady
foothold.
Rather
and
fie
is
made aware, through the intricate narrative process, of the
instabilities brought
place
which
has
about by the modernizing trends
so
long
been
characterized
by
in a
the
stabilities and certainties of a natural process.
Thomas Moser detects in Conrad's indirect method in
this
novel , his
modernist
reader that lie will
tendency
"so
as
to
assault the
experience some of the emotional
chaos
of the characters"^. Since Most romo is not introspective to
the
same
degree
as
Lord Jim
and
Under Western Eyes, and
since the emotional conflict within characters is not worked
41. Albert Guerard, o p . cit. , pp. 211-212.
42. Thomas Moser, Joseph Conrad : Achievement and Decline,
(Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1957), p. 43.
Albert Guerard, o n . cit., p. 176.
236
out
with
as
much
psychological
depth,
the
disorder
and
anarchy of revolutionary times is also suggested through the
extremes of narrative dislocations.
revolutionary background serves,
At
the
same
time,
the
as Berthoud observes^"the
pub! i.c reverberation of individual decisions and desires"
The
extraordinary
flexibility
narative attains in this novel
shifts
of
time
shown, through
and
the
place,
shift
"temporal",
"visual",
mobility
such
example
of
but
uprising
confusing,
but
that
Watts
is,
has
through
"analogical"
He
finds
a
mobility in the grouping
fine
and
events and scenes rel ating to
Ribiera
gradually
and
viewpoints*^.
temporal
against
Cedric
emphasis,
Conrad's
not only through
also, as
"narratoria1"
juxtaposing of non-sequential
the
is evident,
of
shifting
of Conrad's
which
3
and
his
clarifying,
escape.
the
Initially
relatedness
and
significance of the separately described parts emerge slowly
through
detail"
what
45
accounts
to
the
Palmer
. Another
terms
random
illustration
organization
separate
from different points in time and place,
relating
organization,
would
earlier
be
of
the
history,
apt
"the
functioning
of
the
mine and the present venture started by Gould.
Then
references
to
again
visual
Conrad's
objects
mobility
such
as
in
the
the
silver
repeated
and
the
43. J. Berthoud, o p . cit. , p. 99.
44. Cedric Watts, A Preface to Conrad, (London, 1982),p.245.
45. John A. Palmer, rp . c i t . , p. 163.
237
mine, and to places such as the Casa Could, the Casa Viola,
the Customs House, the harbour, the light-house of the Great
Isabel
and even to the Gul Co Placcido and the lliguerota and
others,
imparts reality to the fictional
a composite
setting
of
the
places
world and provides
where
the
scenes
take
place. The shifts in places help to fill in the much needed
biographical
h i s t o r i c a l
details
and
The
of
the
g e o g r a p h ic a l
free
protagonists
and
relevant
d a t a .
movement
of
the
impersonal
narrator
certainly facilitates the shifts in time and place ami also
binds
together
rei lections
interest
narratives,
which
of
are
the
commentaries,
relevant
major
to,
action.
and
He
speeches,
which
also
add
has
and
to
the
the
added
advantage of reporting scenes where others are not present,
and
of
entering
the
thoughts
of
certain
characters,
even
though from outside. Martin Decoud's anxious sojourn at the
Great
Isabel
impersonal
island while Nostromo is away,
narration,
is implicit
with
as part of the
relevant
comments.
It hints at Decoud's scepticism which tragically extends to
his own person. The emphasis on his isolation may be seen as
a general comment on the fate of sceptics.
Often the
thoughts
and motives of major characters
are conveyed in the form of indirect speech to expose their
private
ideas
other's
nature.
or
to
For
throw
into
instance,
relief
Charles
aspects
Gould's
of
each
gradually
218
transforming
reflected
nature
is
shown
through
his
through his conversations with
idealistic
vision
turns
into
own
his
material ism
actions
and
wiIe. As
his
his
wife's
reactions, Decoud's observations, and Dr. Monygham's insinua­
tions,
are found to be more convincing implications of the
danger
and futility of Gould's
the
corrupting
commented
influence
upon
by
aspirations.
on
Decoud
and
The
Nostromo's
Dr.
effect
character,
Monygham ,
are
of
as
further
confirmations of Gould's ambiguous pursuit.
Mrs. Gould may not be directly involved in the major
issues. Yet Gould's obsession, and its devastating effect on
his
person,
is
observations,
registered
fears
more
effectively
and prophetic alarm.
through
In fact,
her
the very
process of moral degradation of Gould's vision is reflected
in large measure through Mrs. Gould. Her part in the scheme
of the novel is integral to Conrad's technique of reversals.
Conrad
works
out
final
conviction
her
increasing
that
apprehensions
material
interests
up
cannot
lasting peace, in such a way, so as to emphasise the
of the original
to
expectations of attaining peace,
her
bring
reversal
security,
and stability of politics and of society.
The
also
be
mobility
seen
incorporated
instance
the
in
and versatility
the
free
use
into the narrator's
indirect
thoughts
of
of
the
indirect
impersonal
of
narrative
both
thoughts
narration.
Decoud
can
and
For
Dr.
Monygham
may
provide
ample
Nostromo.
be
mentioned.
insight
Decoud
Their
into
the
choral
roles
motivations
in
of
a
way
Gould
and
remarks on Gould's "solid English
sense"^
of practical idealism which is far from being logical. Again
he says that Gould "cannot act or exist without
idealizing
every simple feel ing? desi re or achievement"^.
Further Decoud's letter, a lengthy monologue, is both
a
reflection ol
contemporary
his own dilemma,
politics
and
instability
reflections on Nostromo bring
between
Nostromo
himself
and
provide
selfishness
and
contradiction
crucial
to
hints
potential
the
of
Sulaco.
out the essential
Nostromo.
his
as also a comment
earlier
Decoud's
of
the
on
the
Decoud's
difference
impressions
latter's
of
unseen
corruptibility.
These,
impressions
Nostromo's
of
in
untarnished reputation, oft-repeated in earlier accounts as
of
Captain
Mitchell
and
the
Violas,
thereby
introduce
an
element of ambiguity regarding Nostromo's integrity.
Captain Mitchell’s point of view may be seen as that
of
the
complacent
Englishman
with
materialist programmes and colonial
of
the
stable
progress
of
unerring
faith
enterprise.
Sulaco,
and
his
in
the
His notions
superficial
assessment of Nostromo's capabilities, courage and honesty,
juxtaposed against Decoud's
(who also projects his author's
46. Joseph Conrad, Nostromo, p. 214.
47. Ibid, pp. 214-15.
240
ironic
point
of
view),
brings
out
the
difference
perspectives. The way Conrad makes him speak,
otherwise
.straightforward
point
of
in
renders his
view
ironicalJy
revealing-— perhaps questionable — for perceptive readers.
Or. Monygham's ability to see into things makes him
an
ideal
commentator
Costaguana.
Besides
of
men
dropping
conjugal infidelity"
and
affairs
hints
about
in
strife-torn
Gould's
"subtle
he also observes the effects of his
devastating obsession on the’ lives of other people, lie makes
covert
allusions
corruption.
to
Gould's
contribution
On the other hand,
in
Nostromo's
the Chief Kngineer,
quite
early in the story makes indirect remarks illuminating Dr.
Monygham's disfigured past. This, together with the account
of
the
Guzman
biographical
Bento
details
to
regime,
fill
up
provides
the
sufficient
missing
Monygham's situation and relevance in the story.
the
indirect
ways
of
exposing
the
individual s in Nostromo, to prove
private
that
the
ends
to
Such are
concerns
sel f is
of
the
source and centre of all action. In this connection, it may
be
observed
that
even
Mrs.
Gould's
idealism
and
Dr.
Monygham's interest in the mine are shown to be the results
of certain inner motives, however benign
Conrad's prime concern
novel
has
been
48. Ibid, p. 571
to
achieve
they may be.
in the latter part of the
thematic
cohesion
of
the
241
apparently disconnected elements
and to
unify the diverse
elements into a comprehensive picture. And ultimately in the
novel Conrad's art succeeds in blending the multiple themes
of
love,
isolation,
individual
dilemma,
futility
frustration of innumerable people into a structural
The
digressions
passages,
as
and
part
reflections
of
assisted in the gradual
the
and
delayed
detailed
tactics,
unity.
descriptive
have
further
revelation of the uncertainties of
isolated visions and of material
progress,
and
which
continually
subvert
and
Nostromo,
instances
disintegrating
and
forces
and of the evil
human
aspirations.
Besides
Lord Jim
of
indirection and multiplying points of view may be cited also
from Under Western Eyes. Modifying and manipulating techniques
according
to
the
needs
these works emerges
techniques
multiple
of
of
story,
as a modern one.
multiplying
narrators
the
and
perspectives
unconventional
Conrad's
method
Having discussed
through
the
chronology
use
and
in
the
of
the
other devices which are part of his impressionist narrative
structure,
and that
Engl and.
we may say that they are new in English fiction
such techniques bring
in modernity
to fiction in