Lord Jim - Joseph Conrad

Context
Joseph Conrad was born in the Ukraine in 1857. His father was a Polish revolutionar! so Joseph spent his outh with
several different relatives in several different pla"es. #n 187$! he first went to sea. %or the next twent ears he &ade
his livin' as a sailor! (oinin' the )n'lish &er"hant servi"e in 1878 and eventuall be"o&in' a ship "aptain. #n his
twenties! after (oinin' the )n'lish fleet! Conrad an'li"i*ed his +lavi" na&e and learned )n'lish. He did not be'in to
write until he was in his forties. ,ord Ji& is the first of his &a(or novels. #t appeared in 1-..! the ear after Heart of
/arkness! whi"h is perhaps his best0known work. Conrad was onl &oderatel su""essful durin' his lifeti&e! althou'h
he &oved in pro&inent literar "ir"les and was friends with people like Henr Ja&es and %ord 1adox %ord2 with the
latter he "oauthored several works.
Conrad was writin' at the ver &o&ent when the 3i"torian 4'e was disappearin' and the &odern era was e&er'in'.
3i"torian &oral "odes still influen"ed the plots of novels! but su"h prin"iples were no lon'er absolute. 5ovelists and
poets were be'innin' to experi&ent with for&. 6he (u&bled ti&e se7uen"e and elaborate narrative fra&es of ,ord Ji&
are part of this &ove&ent. 4s Conrad wrote in the prefa"e to 6he 5i''er of the 85ar"issus8! another of his novels!
fi"tion wanted to 9strenuousl aspire to the plasti"it of s"ulpture! to the "olour of paintin'! and to the &a'i"
su''estiveness of &usi".9 ,ord Ji&! with its insisten"e on the fre7uent inabilit of lan'ua'e to "o&&uni"ate
strai'htforwardl! opens itself to new was of usin' words. 4 ter& as elusive as 9ins"rutable9 &a "ontain within itself
the i&&ediatel "o&prehensible essen"e of the novel8s prota'onist! while a si&ple word like 9water9 &a fra"ture into
a &ultipli"it of &eanin's! ea"h one available to onl a sin'le individual.
6he sun hadn8t set et on 3i"toria8s e&pire! however2 in fa"t! it was at its *enith. :hile this is one of Conrad8s novels
least involved in the set of issues surroundin' "olonialis&! ,ord Ji& nevertheless situates itself in a world where
national differen"es are often redu"ed to the di"hoto& of 9us9 and 9the&!9 where the ter& 9us9 "an en"o&pass a
surprisin'l hetero'eneous 'roup. ;oth e"ono&i" and ra"ial versions of the "olonial dna&i" "o&e into pla in this
novel.
:hen Conrad died in 1-<$! the first :orld :ar had "o&e and 'one! and &odernis& do&inated literature. 6he new
world was one in whi"h a novel like ,ord Ji&! in whi"h an older set of ideals about herois& do "o&bat with a &odern
sense of troubled personal identit! "ould no lon'er be written with serious intent. :orks like 6he =reat =atsb and
6he +ound and the %ur! whi"h feature the sa&e sort of "onfli"t! present the stru''le as absurd and futile! and no
lon'er profound. ,ord Ji& "o&es out of a uni7ue and ver spe"ifi" &o&ent in ti&e.
+u&&ar
,ord Ji& is the stor of a &an na&ed 1arlow8s stru''le to tell and to understand the life stor of a &an na&ed Ji&.
Ji& is a pro&isin' oun' &an who 'oes to sea as a outh. He rises 7ui"kl throu'h the ranks and soon be"o&es "hief
&ate. >aised on popular sea literature! Ji& "onstantl dadrea&s about be"o&in' a hero! et he has never fa"ed an
real dan'er. %inall! his "han"e "o&es. He is servin' aboard a vessel "alled the Patna! "arrin' 1usli& pil'ri&s to
1e""a! when the ship strikes an underwater ob(e"t and sprin's a leak. :ith a stor& approa"hin'! the "rew abandons
her and her passen'ers to their fate. Ji&! not thinkin' "learl! abandons the ship with the rest of the "rew. 6he Patna
does not sink! however! and Ji&! alon' with the rest of the offi"ers! is sub(e"ted to an offi"ial in7uir b his fellow
sea&en. #t is at this in7uir! where Ji& is stripped of his offi"er8s "ertifi"ation! that he first &eets 1arlow.
+eein' so&ethin' in Ji& that he re"o'ni*es! or perhaps fears! in hi&self! 1arlow strikes up a tortured friendship with
Ji&. Ji& tells hi& his stor! and 1arlow helps hi& obtain a series of (obs. 6he Patna in"ident haunts hi&! thou'h2 ea"h
ti&e it is &entioned! Ji& flees his "urrent situation! enlistin' 1arlow8s help on"e a'ain. %inall! with the help of +tein!
an expatriate trader! 1arlow 'ets Ji& situated as post &ana'er in the re&ote territor of Patusan. Ji& is initiall
"aptured b one of the warrin' fa"tions of the area! but soon es"apes and finall be"o&es a hero b defeatin' a lo"al
bandit. He falls in love with Jewel! the beautiful! half0native stepdau'hter of the previous tradin' post &ana'er! a bitter
little &an "alled Cornelius. Ji& be"o&es the spiritual leader of Patusan. #ts "iti*ens pla"e their trust in hi& and rel on
hi& to enfor"e (usti"e.
?ne da! =entle&an ;rown! a pirate! shows up in Patusan with his "rew in sear"h of provisions. 4 skir&ish ensues!
and ;rown holes up atop a hill. Cornelius! annoed b Ji&8s su""ess and his own failures! se"retl &eets with ;rown
and a "onspira"! in"ludin' a dissentin' Patusan fa"tion! is for&ed a'ainst Ji&. Ji&! unaware of the plot! a'rees to let
;rown leave the area pea"efull @;rown 'uesses at Ji&8s dishonorable past! and Ji& de"ides it would be still &ore
dishonorable to kill ;rown si&pl be"ause ;rown knows the truth about hi&A. Cornelius 'uides ;rown down an
alternate river "hannel! whi"h leads hi& to the "a&p of /ain :aris! the son of Ji&8s "losest all! /ora&in. ;rown and
his &en a&bush the "a&p! killin' /ain :aris. Ji&! reali*in' that he has still not been able to es"ape his initial failure
aboard the Patna! i'nores Jewel8s pleas and 'oes to /ora&in8s "o&pound! where the 'rievin' father shoots and kills
hi&.
1u"h of the novel is "on"erned with 1arlow8s atte&pts to pie"e to'ether Ji&8s stor fro& a variet of sour"es. %inall!
he re"ounts the stor to a 'roup of a"7uaintan"es. 4t this point in ti&e! thou'h! ;rown has not et "o&e to Patusan!
and the stor re&ains unfinished. ?n"e events are "o&pleted! 1arlow writes the& down in &anus"ript for&! whi"h he
then sends to a &e&ber of the audien"e of the first part of the stor. 6he novel fra'&ents ti&e! and 1arlow (uxtaposes
different! non0"hronolo'i"al pie"es of Ji&8s stor for &axi&u& effe"t! all the while seekin' to dis"over the sour"e of
his own fas"ination with Ji& and the &eanin' behind the stor.
Chara"ters
B
Ji& 0 4lso known as 9,ord Ji&!9 or 96uan Ji&.9 6he hero of our stor! Ji& is a oun' &an who! inspired b popular
literature! 'oes to sea drea&in' of be"o&in' a hero. He 'ets his "han"e when the ship he is aboard 'ets da&a'ed! and
fails utterl b abandonin' ship with the rest of the "rew. Haunted b his failure and stripped of his offi"er8s "ertifi"ate!
he wanders fro& (ob to (ob! finall be"o&in' the &ana'er of a re&ote tradin' post. He falls in love with Jewel! a
beautiful! half0native 'irl! and! b defeatin' a lo"al bandit! be"o&es leader of the people. His drea&s of herois& lead to
his failure to kill a &araudin' white pirate! =entle&an ;rown! whi"h in turn leads to the death of /ain :aris! his best
friend and son of /ora&in! the lo"al "hief. Ji& allows /ora&in to shoot hi& in retribution.
1arlow 0 6he narrator of this stor and a ship8s "aptain. 1arlow first en"ounters Ji& at the in7uir where Ji& loses his
"ertifi"ation. %eelin' that Ji& is 9one of us!9 he takes an interest in hi&! first helpin' hi& find e&plo&ent as a water
"lerk and as a tradin' post &ana'er for +tein! then "o&pulsivel pie"in' to'ether Ji&8s stor and perpetuatin' it
throu'h various retellin's. #t is 1arlow who filters and interprets &ost of the narrative for the reader.
Jewel 0 /au'hter of the /ut"h01ala wo&an and stepdau'hter of Cornelius. +he and Ji& fall in love! and she &akes
hi& pro&ise never to leave her. +he is a pra'&ati" wo&an and en"oura'es Ji& to fi'ht to survive after /ain :aris8s
death. 1arlow en"ounters her after Ji&8s death at +tein8s! where she! broken and saddened! re&inds 1arlow that her
predi"tion of Ji&8s infidelit has "o&e true.
+tein 0 6he owner of a lar'e tradin' post! he sends first Cornelius and then Ji& to Patusan. +tein was for"ed to flee
)urope as a oun' &an after be"o&in' involved in revolutionar a"tivities. Havin' &ade his wa to the )ast #ndies! he
has be"o&e su""essful as a trader. 4 thou'htful! analti"al &an who i&&ediatel 9dia'noses9 Ji& for 1arlow! he
"olle"ts butterflies and beetles.
=entle&an ;rown 0 4 white pirate who! havin' barel es"aped +panish offi"ials in the Philippines! "o&es to Patusan
hopin' to steal so&e provisions. He is rather fa&ous in this part of the world! and is used as the sto"k bad 'u
whenever lo"als are tellin' stories. He is proud! terrified of "onfine&ent. He and his &en are atta"ked upon arrival in
Patusan b /ain :aris and his band! who have had advan"e warnin' of their "o&in'. 4lthou'h he had initiall wanted
to "on7uer and loot Patusan! he reali*es he is outnu&bered and ne'otiates with Ji&. #n those ne'otiations! ;rown
shows that he is aware that Ji& has a dark past! thereb appealin' to Ji&8s tortured sense of ideals and re"eivin'
per&ission to retreat in safet. ;rown has been "onspirin' with Cornelius and the >a(ah 4llan'! thou'h! and on his
wa ba"k to his ship! he surprises /ain :aris and his &en at their "a&p. /ain :aris is killed! whi"h will lead to Ji&8s
death. ;rown and his &en are shipwre"ked soon after. ;rown is the onl survivor! althou'h he dies soon afterward.
1arlow visits hi& on his deathbed and 'ets part of the stor fro& hi&. ;rown is an i&portant "ontrast to Ji&! as a &an
who lives a ro&anti" life! but one that is far fro& &oral or ideali*ed. Unlike Ji&! ;rown is 7ui"k to own up to his past
and his fears.
Cornelius 0 Husband of the /ut"h01ala wo&an! he is the previous &ana'er of +tein8s Patusan post. 4 bitter!
"onnivin' &an! he betras Ji& to =entle&an ;rown and "auses the death of /ain :aris. He is Jewel8s stepfather! and
treats her badl! even askin' for Ji& to 'ive hi& &one in ex"han'e for her.
/ut"h01ala wo&an 0 4 wo&an with a &sterious past! she is Jewel8s &other and Cornelius8s wife @althou'h
Cornelius is not Jewel8s fatherA. 4s a favor to her! +tein 'ives Cornelius a post in Patusan. +he dies a horrible death
with Cornelius! who has alwas tor&ented her! trin' to break down the door to her roo&.
Crew of the Patna 0 Ji&8s fellow offi"ers aboard the Patna! the i&&ediatel be'in to tr to leave the da&a'ed ship
after the "ollision. 4 phsi"all repulsive and dishonorable lot! the flee before the in7uir. ?ne of the&! the third
en'ineer! dies of a heart atta"k on board and is found b res"uers. 1arlow &eets with another of the& in a hospital.
6he &an is delirious fro& the effe"ts of al"oholis& and is hallu"inatin' pink toads! but he tells 1arlow that he
personall wat"hed the Patna sink @the ship did not a"tuall sinkA. 6he "aptain is an enor&ous! dis'ustin' &an who
bullies Ji&. Ji& en"ounters another of the en'ineers in the workpla"e of his first post0Patna e&ploer! whi"h "auses
hi& @Ji&A to skip town.
Captain ;rierl 0 ?ne of the &ost de"orated and respe"ted ship8s "aptains in the area. He is on the board of in7uir
that tries Ji&. +e"retl! he &akes 1arlow an offer of &one to help Ji& run awa. 5ot lon' after the in7uir! he
"o&&its sui"ide! &otivated b so&e se"ret sha&e. He is i&pli"itl "ontrasted with Ji&.
Chester and >obinson 0 6wo disreputable "hara"ters who offer Ji&! throu'h 1arlow! a (ob takin' a wre"k of a ship to
a desolate island to "olle"t 'uano. ;oth have 7uestionable pasts and "an be "o&pared with both Ji& and =entle&an
;rown. 6he 'uano0"olle"tin' &ission! under so&eone else8s "o&&and! leaves port and is never heard fro& a'ain2 it is
thou'ht to have been wiped out b a hurri"ane.
%ren"h lieutenant 0 1arlow &eets the %ren"h lieutenant in a +dne "afC &an ears after the events of the novel. 6he
lieutenant was the &an who staed aboard the da&a'ed Patna as his 'unboat towed her ba"k into port. 4lthou'h his
a"t was heroi"! he see&s to have been &otivated &ore b dut and professionalis&. His prosai" attitude and his failure
to des"ribe the &ster of the experien"e ade7uatel in words disappoints and even dis'usts 1arlow.
/ora&in 0 Chief of the ;u'is2 a wise! kind old &an and a 9war0"o&rade9 of +tein8s. +tein 'ives Ji& a silver rin' as a
token of introdu"tion to /ora&in. /ora&in saves Ji& after his es"ape fro& the >a(ah 4llan'! who had been holdin'
hi& prisoner. /ora&in is the father of /ain :aris! Ji&8s "losest friend. :hen /ain :aris is killed be"ause of Ji&8s
&is(ud'&ent! /ora&in shoots and kills Ji&! who has offered hi&self up as a sa"rifi"e.
/ain :aris 0 /ora&in8s son and Ji&8s best friend. 6he two are soul &ates! and /ain :aris serves as Ji&8s se"ond0in0
"o&&and. He leads the initial atta"k on =entle&an ;rown! but is not entirel su""essful! la"kin' Ji&8s "haris&a as a
leader of &en. He is killed when Cornelius leads ;rown down the river "hannel behind his "a&p! after Ji& foolishl
frees ;rown and his &en.
;u'is 0 4 'roup of traders fro& Celebes who i&&i'rate to Patusan &an ears before Ji& arrives there. 6he are
"onstantl e&broiled in "onfli"t with the >a(ah 4llan'! who wants to shut down their tradin' a"tivities and en(o a
&onopol for hi&self. /ora&in is their "hief.
6a&b8#ta& 0 4 1ala who "a&e to Patusan and was enslaved b the >a(ah 4llan'. %reed b /ora&in! he be"o&es
Ji&8s loal servant and adviser. He es"apes with Jewel after Ji&8s death and is the one to 'ive 1arlow the &ost
"o&plete a""ount of Ji&8s final das.
>a(ah 4llan' 0 4lso known as 6unku 4llan'. 6he "orrupt! unoffi"ial ruler of Patusan2 the un"le of the le'iti&ate but
undera'e and possibl &entall0in"o&petent +ultan. He tries to enfor"e a &onopol on trade in the area. 4llan'
"aptures Ji& upon his arrival in Patusan. He also se"retl allies with =entle&an ;rown a'ainst Ji&.
+herif 4li 0 4 fanati" 1usli& bandit who terrori*es Patusan fro& a stron'hold in the hills. Ji& defeats 4li to be"o&e a
hero in Patusan.
Chapters 1 and <
B
+u&&ar
Ji& is a popular! if so&ewhat &sterious! oun' &an workin' as a water0"lerk @a &er"hant8s a'ent who sells
provisions to ships8 "aptains at ports of "allA in various )astern @&eanin' +outheast 4sian and Pa"ifi" islandA seaports.
He is des"ribed as assertive! attra"tive! and possessin' 94bilit in the abstra"t!9 et he also is prone to leavin' (obs
without noti"e! and! we are told! works as a water0"lerk onl be"ause he is 9a sea&an in exile fro& the sea.9 4 brief
bio'raphi"al sket"h is 'iven of Ji&8s earl lifeD the son of an )n'lish "ountr parson! he is sent to a &er"hant &arine
a"ade& after 9a "ourse of li'ht holida literature9 leads hi& to de"lare his interest in the sea. Eui"kl provin' his
&erit! he soon sets out to sea on trainin' ships! where he spends free ti&e lost in dadrea&s! 9livFin'G in his &ind the
sea0life of li'ht literature.9 His fantasies tpi"all involve a"ts of herois&D res"uin' people! puttin' down &utinies!
"on7uerin' sava'es. ?ne winter8s da he is aboard a trainin' ship in port! fantasi*in' about be"o&in' a hero! when a
"o&&otion arises on de"k. 4 "ollision has o""urred nearb! and a boat is laun"hed fro& his ship to res"ue survivors.
Ji& is not one of the res"uers aboard the ship8s boat! and his disappoint&ent is bitter. His "aptain "onsoles hi&! tellin'
hi& to be 7ui"ker next ti&e.
4fter two ears of trainin'! Ji& 'oes to sea aboard the first of a series of &er"hant ships. His abilities lead to 7ui"k
pro&otion! and he soon finds hi&self 9"hief &ate of a fine ship!9 althou'h he is still ver oun' and has not et been
trul tested b the sea. His first en"ounter with 9the an'er of the sea9 "auses hi& to be in(ured b a fallin' spar.
/isabled! he spends das in his bunk as the stor& ra'es! not fantasi*in' about heroi"s but instead "onfrontin' the
brutal nature of pain! fear! and phsi"al existen"e. He is left behind! still la&ed! at the next port of "all! where he
spends so&e ti&e re"uperatin'! then en'a'es as "hief &ate on the Patna! a de"ain' stea&er ferrin' a boatload of
1usli& pil'ri&s to 1e""a and "o&&anded b a "ra*ed =er&an skipper. 6he Patna leaves port and turns into the open
o"ean. 6he voa'e be'ins in a &ood of eerie "al& and isolation! the sea flat! the white "rew 9isolated fro& the hu&an
"ar'o9 of pil'ri&s.
Co&&entar
6he openin' "hapters of ,ord Ji& &ake referen"e to three distin"t &o&ents in ti&eD the apparent present ti&e of Ji&8s
e&plo&ent as a water0"lerk! a "ontinuous span of ears in the past fro& the ti&e he leaves ho&e to his shippin'
aboard the Patna! and a &o&ent that see&s to be in the future! when he will leave the seaside and venture into the
1ala forest. 6he as0et0unna&ed narrator! who& we will &eet in Chapter $! see&s to have a nearl o&nipotent
knowled'e of Ji&8s stor2 he hints that we will see hi& transfor& fro& 9(ust Ji&9 to 96uan Ji&!9 or 9,ord Ji&!9
althou'h he offers no "lues as to how this will o""ur. %or the ti&e bein'! the narrator instead invokes a series of literar
paradi'&s within whi"h Ji&8s stor &a or &a not fit. %irst! the stor be'ins in &edias res! or in the &iddle of thin's!
in the interlude between the two &a(or episodes of the novel. 6his is the "lassi" openin' strate' of novels within the
epi" 'enre. :ill Ji&8s stor prove to be an epi"! perhaps like Ho&er8s ?dsse! another work whi"h be'ins with a
displa"ed sailor far fro& ho&eH 6he &arked interest in onl one individual00Ji&00and the la"k of an se"ondar
"hara"ters &eans that this will not be a "lassi"al epi"! sin"e "lassi"al epi" is tpi"all &ore interested in sweepin'
so"ial events involvin' 'roups of people. 6he sket"h of Ji&8s earl life and edu"ation su''est that ,ord Ji& &a share
features with bio'raph! or perhaps bildun'sro&an @a 'enre whi"h looks at the edu"ation and &aturation of an
individualA. 6he bildun'sro&an often seeks to tra"e an individual8s develop&ent throu'h his or her readin'! whi"h is
"ertainl the "ase here! althou'h Ji& is readin' li'ht popular literature rather than the &ore serious to&es usuall "ited
in this 'enre. 6he reiterated attention to Ji&8s propensit for dadrea&in' and the e&phasis on his innate 94bilit9 are!
in their wa! tropes of >o&anti"is&! a &ode that re7uires i&a'ination and inborn 'enius above all else in its heroes.
%inall! too! there is a "ertain pre0&odernist aspe"t to Ji&8s introdu"tion. ,ike ,eopold ;loo& in Ulsses! Ji& derives
&an of his ideas fro& popular literature and "ulture. Conrad8s lan'ua'e! too! with its densit of abstra"t ter&s @the
9keen per"eption of the #ntolerable!9 for exa&pleA and lo"al allusions @>an'oon! Penan'! ;ataviaA! "an be diffi"ult in
the sa&e wa as the lan'ua'e of 3ir'inia :oolf or :illia& %aulkner.
4bove all! the narrator &akes the su''estion that there is a funda&ental void at the heart of this text. 1u"h is left
unexplained! and that whi"h is explained is see&in'l a""idental2 for exa&ple! Ji& onl ships on the Patna be"ause he
has been in(ured aboard another ship and left behind far fro& ho&e. Conrad also invokes the proble&ati" histori"al
"ir"u&stan"es of "olonialis& b situatin' his hero in a part of the world where nearl ever s7uare foot of land has
been "lai&ed b a )uropean power! and b puttin' hi& in the e&plo of &en who 9love. . .short passa'es! 'ood de"k0
"hairs! lar'e native "rews! and the distin"tion of bein' white.9 6his se"tion of the novel ends with the i&a'e of a s&all
island of whiteness aboard a ship full of dark0skinned 1usli&s! isolated in the &iddle of a hu&an o"ean as well as a
literal one. :hile Ji& and the rest of the Patna8s "rew are pla"ed in a position of see&in' superiorit as the ship8s
offi"ers! the are nevertheless e"ono&i"all dependent on the hordes below the de"k! (ust as &an )uropean "ountries
were at the ti&e e"ono&i"all reliant on the natural resour"es of their "olonies.
Chapters I 0 5
B
+u&&ar
6he Patna "ontinues toward 1e""a throu'h an i&possibl still ni'ht. 6he passen'ers are asleep and Ji& is on wat"h!
i&a'inin' heroi" deeds as usual. 6he ship8s "aptain! a tre&endousl obese and violent 95ew +outh :ales =er&an!9
ar'ues with the se"ond en'ineer! who is drunk. 4 sudden i&pa"t shakes the ship! pit"hin' the en'ineer forward and
nearl kno"kin' Ji& and the "aptain off their feet. 6he i&pa"t is followed onl b silen"e and a ru&blin' shake of the
ship.
6he narrative suddenl skips ahead a &onth to a "ourtroo&! where an in7uest is bein' held. Ji& is on the stand
re"ountin' the events of that ni'ht. He re"alls that he was sent below to exa&ine the ship for da&a'e followin' the
i&pa"t! whi"h! it is &entioned! is thou'ht to have been with a floatin' shipwre"k. Ji& tells the "ourt that he found the
hold fillin' with water and that he then reali*ed that there &ust be 9a bi' hole below the waterline.9 ?n his wa to
exa&ine the bulkhead! whi"h divides se"tions of the hold! he en"ountered the se"ond en'ineer! who had broken his
ar& fallin' fro& a ladder. Ji& enters into a detailed! i&pressionisti" a""ount of subse7uent events! but he is 7ui"kl "ut
off b the "ourt! whi"h wants onl 9es or no9 answers in their sear"h for the 9fa"ts.9 4s he testifies! Ji& noti"es 9a
white &an who FsitsG apart fro& the others! with his fa"e worn and "louded! but with 7uiet ees!9 who is wat"hin' hi&
intentl. Ji& senses that the &an understands his predi"a&ent @of whi"h we! the readers! are not et full aware2 wh is
this in7uest bein' heldHA. :e find out that this &an is 1arlow! who will narrate a 'ood bit of the stor! and who will
9later on! &an ti&es! in distant parts of the world. . .show. . .hi&self willin' to re&e&ber Ji&! to re&e&ber hi& at
len'th! in detail and audibl.9 #n other words! 1arlow is to be the keeper of Ji&8s stor.
6he narrative shifts a'ain! to 1arlow! on a verandah after dinner! re"ountin' Ji&8s stor to a 'roup of silent listeners.
1arlow ad&its to his audien"e that he8s not sure wh he attended the in7uir! ex"ept for the fa"t that the Patna 9affair9
@with whi"h the reader is still not full a"7uaintedA had be"o&e 9notorious9 in the &ariti&e "o&&unit of that part of
the world! and everone who "ould "a&e to the trial. 1arlow tells his listeners that he hi&self saw the res"ued "rew of
the Patna arrive in port and report to the harbor offi"e to &ake a deposition. He di'resses for a &o&ent! detailin' the
repulsive appearan"e of the "rew! parti"ularl the "aptain! who was wearin' so&eone else8s pa(a&as! and then
di'resses still further to offer an a""ount of his a"7uaintan"e with the harbor&aster8s "lerk! whi"h has no real relevan"e
to the stor ex"ept to reveal so&ethin' of 1arlow8s "hara"terD he on"e 'ave the "lerk a 'enerous tip! he sas! be"ause
the &an8s 9"hildlike belief in the sa"red ri'ht to per7uisites 7uite tou"hed FhisG heart.9 1arlow looked on as the Patna8s
"rew ar'ued with the harbor&aster! and it is then that he first noti"ed Ji&! who stood out fro& the rest of the debased
bun"h. 1arlow i&&ediatel fixed on Ji& as 9one of us!9 a ta' that will be repeated throu'hout the novel. 6he "rew!
after disputin' with the harbor&aster for a few &o&ents lon'er! disappeared into a series of ri"kshaws. 6he se"ond
en'ineer! with his broken ar&! went to the hospital! where 1arlow! 'oin' to see an in(ured &e&ber of his own "rew!
en"ountered hi& a few das later. 4nother &e&ber of the Patna8s "rew! a &an with a lon'! droopin' &usta"he! was
also in the hospital! in the throes of deliriu& and hallu"inations after a lon' drinkin' bin'e that be'an when he rea"hed
port. 1arlow interro'ated hi&! and was told b the &an that he saw the Patna 'o down with his own ees. He then
ra&bles on about the reptiles on board the ship and the pink toads that are under his hospital bed. 1arlow was asked
b one of the do"tors! as he left the hospital! if the &an8s testi&on would be &aterial to the in7uir. 1arlow tells hi&
it would not.
Co&&entar
6he narrative "ontinues to pla 'a&es with ti&e! (u&pin' between the "ollision on board the Patna! the in7uir into the
"ollision! and events between the "rew8s res"ue and the in7uir. 5ote that a 'reat deal of infor&ation is still not
available to the readerD :hat did the ship hitH :h did the "rew need to be res"uedH :h is an in7uir bein' held into
the "rew8s behaviorH 4nd! &ost "riti"all! who is 1arlow! and wh is he so interested in Ji&H 6he reader is put in the
sa&e position as the "rew of the Patna followin' the i&pa"tD so&ethin' i&portant has (ust happened! but we8re not sure
what it is! and the "onse7uen"es are entirel un"lear. Ji& theori*es that the Patna has an enor&ous 'ou'e 9below the
waterline!9 but he is unable to see the da&a'e threatenin' his ship! as it is hidden at the botto& of a dark! flooded
"o&part&ent below the de"k. Just as it is onl the floodin' that is apparent to Ji&! it is onl the after&ath of a &a(or!
still0unknown event that is visible to the readerD an in(ured &an! a &an who has drunk hi&self into hallu"inations! and
a trial! for a "ri&e still a &ster to us.
6he in7uir introdu"es 1arlow @he8s a spe"tatorA! and also serves to hi'hli'ht his "urious interest in Ji& b wa of
"ontrast. 6he in7uir is interested in 9fa"t!9 so &u"h so that the &a'istrate presidin' tells Ji& to "urtail his explanations
and re&inis"en"es and 'et to the point. 9Jes or no9 answers are what the "ourt wants! but perhaps! as 1arlow8s
presen"e su''ests! the issues at hand re7uire a &ore subtle for& of in7uir. 1arlow fixates on Ji&8s status as 9one of
us!9 but what does this phrase &eanH 1arlow and Ji& are both sailors! but so are the &en who see& to have Ji& on
trial @as we will find out later! in fa"t! this is a hearin' to revoke the offi"ers8 "ertifi"ates of the "rew! not a "ri&inal
trialA. 1arlow initiall offers us the explanation that he is interested in Ji& be"ause he is 9outwardl so tpi"al of that
'ood! stupid kind we like to feel &ar"hin' ri'ht and left of us in life92 in other words! he "lai&s to pit Ji& in a wa!
and to feel an ur'e to prote"t hi&. ,ater! thou'h! 1arlow 'ives a &ore "o&pli"ated reason for his interest! sain' that
he 9would have trusted the de"k Fof his shipG to that oun'ster on the stren'th of a sin'le 'lan"e! and 'one to sleep
with both ees FshutG00and! b JoveK it wouldn8t have been safe.9 He preli&inaril "on"ludes that Ji& fas"inates hi&
be"ause 9he lookFsG as 'enuine as a new soverei'n! but there FisG so&e infernal allo in his &etal.9 :hat does this
&ean! and wh does 1arlow so deepl identif with Ji&H :e still don8t know wh it wouldn8t be safe to trust Ji& with
a ship @after all! we8ve (ust heard about his 'reat 94bilit9A nor wh Ji& should be "onsidered 9infernal.9 4bove all!
who is this 1arlow! and how is it that he has a""ess to ever part of Ji&8s storH 1arlow is the "onsu&&ate storteller!
as we see in the hpotheti"al setup at the end of Chapter $ and the be'innin' of Chapter 5. He reorders the &aterial at
hand to &axi&i*e suspense and "reate &eanin'ful (uxtapositions and o&issions. 1ost of all! he offers a re"ord of his
own involve&ent with and rea"tion to Ji&8s stor. 1arlow "onstru"ts hi&self as an alternate hero! an intelle"tual hero
who is not onl Ji&8s best reader! but also his best representative! his best hope for a "ontinued pla"e in the world8s
&e&or.
Pa attention to 1arlow8s en"ounter with the al"oholi" "rew&an fro& the Patna. 6his is a novel filled with
"oin"iden"es and parallel stru"tures! and this is a plot devi"e that will re"ur. Coin"iden"e is an i&portant idea in this
novel. 1arlow8s eventual abilit to pie"e to'ether all of Ji&8s stor is due to "han"e &eetin's! &utual a"7uaintan"es!
and the si&ilarit in their o""upations. He takes an interest in Ji& and &akes an effort to learn about hi& over ti&e! but
he is aided b sheer lu"k and so&e &sterious "ir"u&stan"es! in a part of the world where distan"es are 'reat and
9"ivili*ation9 is still &ini&al. :hat does "oin"iden"e &ean in ,ord Ji&H #t is not eviden"e of providential desi'n or
predestined fate2 rather! "oin"iden"e hi'hli'hts Ji&8s representative 7ualit00he is! in so&e wa! 9one of9 all of 9us.9 #t
also e&phasi*es Ji&8s inabilit to es"ape his past! a fa"t whi"h will assu&e 'reat i&portan"e in the "losin' "hapters of
the novel2 despite &ovin' thousands of &iles awa fro& white "ivili*ation and several ears forward in ti&e! Ji& is
never 7uite able to es"ape whatever it is that happened on the Patna. 6he role of "oin"iden"e thus also su''ests
lin'erin' overtones of 3i"torian &oral "odes! under whi"h nothin' 'oes unpunished! nothin' is for'iven. :at"h for
repeatin' stru"tures and "oin"iden"es in the plot! and look parti"ularl for parallels between the two &a(or episodes.
Chapters L and 7
B
+u&&ar
1arlow offers his take on the in7uir. 6he fa"ts of the Patna "ase were alread known with as &u"h "ertaint as
possible! he "lai&s! and the in7uir is &erel bein' held to satisf so&e deep ps"holo'i"al need of the "o&&unit of
sailors. 1arlow thinks about Captain ;rierl! one of the (ud'es at the in7uir. ;rierl is a well0re'arded! well0known
sailor who "o&&ands one of the best ships in the )ast! a &an who has been re"o'ni*ed for his feats of herois& and
'ood sea&anship. Jet! 1arlow tells us! ;rierl "o&&its sui"ide soon after the in7uir into the Patna affair. ;rierl8s
"hief &ate! who& 1arlow en"ounters later! tells of ;rierl8s "areful preparations before (u&pin' overboard to drown
in the &iddle of a passa'e. 1arlow refle"ts that the &an8s sui"ide! not attributable to an other "ause! &ust have been a
result of a self0"onde&nation provoked b so&e identifi"ation with Ji&. 1arlow en"ounters ;rierl on the street
durin' the in7uir and has a terse "onversation with hi&. 4'reein' with 1arlow that Ji& is bein' tor&ented be"ause
he assents to bein' tor&ented! ;rierl proposes to 1arlow that the two put up a fund of &one with whi"h Ji& "an
flee! on the "ondition that 1arlow &ake the offer to Ji&. 6he next da! 1arlow finall has o""asion to speak to Ji&.
,eavin' "ourt! Ji& is (ust in front of 1arlow. +o&eone outside the "ourt has a do' with the&! whi"h trips up the
"rowd. 4nother person in the "rowd &akes referen"e to the do'! "allin' it a 9"ur.9 Ji& whirls around and a""uses
1arlow of insultin' hi&! thinkin' it was 1arlow who uttered the word @a si'nifi"ant insult! if dire"ted at a person! and!
with its i&pli"ation of "owardi"e! parti"ularl hurtful to Ji&A and that it was dire"ted at hi&. He also tells 1arlow that
he8s noti"ed hi& starin' durin' the in7uir. 1arlow points out the do' in the "rowd and explains the &istake.
Ji& is abashed but defiant2 he runs off. 1arlow follows hi&! unsure wh he is doin' so! and invites hi& to dine at his
hotel. Ji& a'rees! and the two eat in a dinin' roo& full of pa"ka'e tourists. +lowl! Ji& be'ins to talk! first of his
tor&ent! then of his sha&e at his fa&il8s knowled'e of his trial! then of his desire to be understood b so&eone!
anone. 1arlow will do! he sas. 1arlow a'ain notes that Ji& is 9one of us.9 Ji& be'ins to des"ribe the events
followin' the Patna8s "ollisionD 'oin' below a'ain! he found that the bulkhead separatin' the flooded "o&part&ent
fro& the rest of the hold was bul'in' and about to fail. #f it were to fail! the ship would surel sink. Ji& be'ins to
refle"t on 9the "han"e &issed!9 eventuall 'ettin' to the heart of 9the i&possible world of ro&anti" a"hieve&ents9 that
"ould have been his! 'iven this opportunit. 6hrou'h a series of indire"t referen"es b both &en! the reader is 'iven to
understand that the Patna8s offi"ers! sure that the bulkhead would fail and the ship sink! had abandoned the ship!
leavin' its "ar'o of pil'ri&s behind. 6he offi"ers were pi"ked up a few das later b another vessel! whose "aptain
the told that the Patna had sunk. 4pparentl! however! the bulkhead did not fail! and the ship did not sink. 6his is wh
Ji& @alon' with the other offi"ers in absentiaA has been put on trial2 he &issed his "han"e to do the heroi" thin' b
stain' with the da&a'ed ship! and instead &ade the worst possible &istake a sea&an "ould &ake! abandonin' a still0
floatin' ship. Ji& re"alls wat"hin' the sleepin' pil'ri&s! aware that! due to a la"k of lifeboats! the were all alread
dead. Paral*ed b so&e unna&eable e&otion! he does not wake an of the&.
Co&&entar
;rierl8s stor! whi"h be'ins this se"tion! reinfor"es 1arlow8s idea about Ji& bein' 9one of us.9 4lthou'h ;rierl is
one of the &ost su""essful &er"hant sea&en in the Pa"ifi"! he nevertheless has so&ethin' in "o&&on with Ji&!
so&ethin' that drives hi& to pass the ulti&ate (ud'&ent on hi&self. 6he a"tual a"t of ;rierl8s sui"ide is si'nifi"ant in
two was. %irst! ;rierl8s a"tual (u&p overboard is not narrated. 6here is a void where the a"tion should be! as will be
the "ase with the two &ost si'nifi"ant &o&ents of Ji&8s life! when we finall 'et to the&. #nstead! ;rierl8s "hief &ate
is onl able to des"ribe the events and preparations surroundin' ;rierl8s death. %ro& this des"ription it is obvious that
the sui"ide has been "arefull planned! the "ul&ination of &an hours of fantas about the event itself. 6his is the
se"ond si'nifi"ant aspe"t of the sui"ideD its analo'ous relation to Ji&8s fantas world of heroi" deeds. ,ike Ji&! ;rierl
rehearses the a"t in his head! i&a'inin' all the "ir"u&stan"es leadin' up to it and "onsiderin' hi&self parti"ularl
7ualified to undertake this a"tion. Unlike Ji&8s! thou'h! ;rierl8s fantasies be"o&e realit. 6he si'nifi"an"e of ;rierl8s
death will be"o&e even &ore apparent when Ji& resu&es the stor of what happened on the Patna! when we see hi&
fa"ed with a (u&p of his own.
6he 9"ur9 in"ident will also have a parallel aboard the Patna! as Ji& will reveal in Chapter 8. 6he s"ene with the do'
also serves as another instan"e of inde"ipherabilit. :hile the a"tual use of the word 9"ur9 is dire"ted to the do'
outside the "ourthouse! the in7uir underwa within the "ourthouse represents the "o&&unit of sea&en i&pli"itl
a""usin' Ji& of bein' a 9"ur.9 4nd! as his subse7uent "onversation with 1arlow reveals! his resent&ent over the
i&plied slur has hi& at a boilin' point. #n a novel full of va'ue words and indire"t "onversations! this &o&ent also
stands out as one where lan'ua'e a"hieves an unusual sharpness.
1ost i&portantl for us! thou'h! it 'ives Ji& and 1arlow a "han"e to &eet. )a"h has noti"ed the other. :hile 1arlow
is drawn to Ji& for deep ps"holo'i"al reasons! Ji& is interested in 1arlow be"ause he thinks 1arlow has been starin'
at hi& with undue "uriosit and in a "onde&nator wa. #t is a si'n of the stron' fas"ination ea"h has with the other
that the "o&e to'ether over an insult that wasn8t &eant to be one. Ji&! still "onvin"ed that his true self is based in his
heroi" fantasies! re(e"ts the ter& 9"ur!9 while 1arlow! initiall put in the position of the 'iver of the insult! finds
hi&self rushin' after Ji& to &ake explanations and a&ends. 1arlow is barel offended when Ji&! durin' the "ourse of
their "onversation! su''ests that the epithet &a better appl to 1arlow hi&self. 5ote! too! that 1arlow is often
"uttin' or insensitive to Ji& in the "ourse of their "onversation.
6he entan'lin' of the (ud'in' and the (ud'ed that takes pla"e over the word 9"ur9 foreshadows the wa the two &en8s
stories will be"o&e entan'led. Ji& "hooses 1arlow as a re"ipient for his narrative! wantin' onl to find so&eone who
will 9understand.9 Ji&8s desire to perpetuate and (ustif hi&self throu'h his stor "alls to &ind traditional notions of
poeti" i&&ortalit2 if Ji&8s stor lives on! so too! in so&e wa! does Ji&. 1arlow! thou'h! is not a neutral re"ipient of
the tale. +eein' so&ethin' in Ji& that "orresponds to a part of hi&self! he "o0opts it2 ,ord Ji& be"o&es a stor that "an
sa so&ethin' about 1arlow! that is perhaps in the end &ore 1arlow8s stor than Ji&8s.
Chapters 8 0 1<
B
+u&&ar
Ji& tells 1arlow the rest of the stor of what happened aboard the PatnaD %indin' hi&self a&idst a "rowd of sleepin'
pil'ri&s! he reali*es that there will be nowhere near enou'h roo& in the lifeboats for everone. +uddenl one of the
passen'ers 'rabs hi& and utters the word 9water.9 6hinkin' that the &an is aware of the floodin' belowde"ks and
worried that his shoutin' will start a pani"! Ji& atta"ks the &an to silen"e hi&. ?nl then does he reali*e that the &an
is not referrin' to the floodin' but is onl askin' for a drink for his si"k "hild. Ji& hands his water bottle to the &an
and 'oes to the brid'e! where the rest of the offi"ers are trin' to laun"h a lifeboat. 6he ask hi& for help and abuse
hi& when he in7uires about their plans for pat"hin' the ship. Ji& des"ribes for 1arlow the i&possibilit of shorin' up
the failin' bulkhead below! then enters into an elaborate &editation on his e&otions at the ti&e and the perilous
position of the ship! floatin' head0down in a leaden sea. 1arlow re"alls the testi&on of the Patna8s two 1ala
steers&en at the in7uirD when asked what the thou'ht when the white "rew left the ship! one replies! 95othin'!9
while the other sas that he thou'ht the white &en &ust have had 9se"ret reasons.9 6he offi"ers "ontinue to abuse Ji&
as the stru''le to laun"h the boat. Ji& lau'hs insanel as he tells 1arlow this part of the stor. Ji& finall understands
the ur'en" when one of the offi"ers points to the hori*on2 a s7uall is approa"hin'! whi"h will surel sink the da&a'ed
ship. 5evertheless! Ji& is too paral*ed with the thou'ht of the pil'ri&s sleepin' below to help with the lifeboat. 6he
s7uall draws nearer! and Ji& feels a sli'ht swell pass under the ship! whi"h until now has been in a perfe"tl "al& sea.
6he third en'ineer drops dead fro& a heart atta"k as the offi"ers "ontinue to work. %inall! the lifeboat rips free of the
ship! wakin' &an of the passen'ers below. +everal thin's see& to happen at on"eD the s7uall be'ins to hit! the "rew
'ets into the boat! the third en'ineer8s "orpse slu&ps sidewas as Ji& stu&bles over its le's! and the offi"ers be'in to
ell for the dead &an to (oin the& in the boat! unaware that he has died. 6he next &o&ent! that of "ru"ial a"tion! is not
des"ribed in the narrative. +o&ehow! Ji& finds hi&self in the boat. He! too! has abandoned ship.
6he s7uall hits2 the &en in the boat stru''le to pull awa fro& the sinkin' Patna. +eein' no li'hts fro& the ship! the
a'ree that she has 'one down. 6he &en be'in to talk of their narrow es"ape! ridi"ulin' the &an the think is the third
en'ineer for his hesitation in (u&pin'. :hen the dis"over that it is a"tuall Ji& in the boat with the&! the a""use
hi& of &urderin' the en'ineer b takin' his pla"e in the boat. 6he "rew "onstru"ts a unified version of events to 'ive
to the authorities on shore. Ji& i'nores the& and spends the ni'ht "lut"hin' a pie"e of wood! read to defend hi&self.
4t this point in the stor! Ji& pauses and asks 1arlow! 9/on8t ou believe itH9 1arlow finds hi&self de"larin' his faith
in Ji& and his a""ount. Ji& tortures hi&self and 1arlow for several &inutes! exa&inin' the alternative possibilities
available to hi& and (ustifin' his "ourse of a"tion. 4'ain he &akes 1arlow state his belief in the tale and in Ji&8s
&otives.
6he &en in the lifeboat are pi"ked up b the 4vondale! a passin' ship! the next &ornin'. 6he tell the version of the
stor upon whi"h the a'reed durin' the ni'ht2 Ji& does not dissent! althou'h he feels as if he were 9"heatin' the
dead.9 6hat he soon finds out that there are no dead! that the Patna has &ade it into port! is of little a""ount. He ad&its
to 1arlow now that he thou'ht he heard shouts after the s7uall hit! and after the &en had de"lared the ship sunk!
althou'h he still attributes the noises to his i&a'ination. Ji& re"alls learnin' of the Patna8s deliveran"e upon rea"hin'
port. 1arlow ponders the 7uestion of the disappearin' ship8s li'hts! wonderin' wh the &en were so 7ui"k to assu&e
that the indi"ated the sinkin' of the Patna. He re"alls Captain ;rierl8s explanation at the in7uest! that the arrival of
the s7uall had "aused the ship! dead in the water and listin'! to swin' about! thus hidin' the li'hts fro& the &en in the
lifeboat.
6he stor of the Patna8s res"ue "o&es fro& 1arlow! who has 'otten it fro& offi"ial reports and fro& an old %ren"h
offi"er he &eets &an ears later in +dne. 4round the sa&e ti&e the "rew were pi"ked up! a %ren"h 'unboat
en"ountered the Patna and atta"hed a tow line. 6he old &an 1arlow &eets is the offi"er fro& the 'unboat who staed
onboard the Patna as she was bein' towed into harbor. 1ira"ulousl! the Patna &akes it into port. 6he %ren"h offi"er
re"alls the boredo& of bein' aboard the ship and "o&plains that! althou'h he was able to eat! he had no wine. He also
re"alls the 'reat interest shown b both the passen'ers and the authorities in the "orpse of the third en'ineer! whi"h he
found where it fell after Ji& stu&bled over it. 1arlow is a&a*ed that! so &an ears later and so far awa! he
"ontinues to en"ounter Ji&8s stor.
Co&&entar
6his se"tion presents a nu&ber of fi'ures who serve as alternatives to Ji&. 6he first! of "ourse! is 1arlow! who
"ontinues to be fas"inated! repulsed! and personall involved! and who! althou'h he "o&pulsivel &akes "ruel
"o&&ents to Ji&! is nevertheless willin' to de"lare his faith and s&path a'ain and a'ain. 6he se"ond "ontrast is with
the dead third en'ineer. ?ver"o&e with horror and fear! the &an si&pl drops dead rather than deal with the situation.
:hile this is "ertainl not an option valori*ed in the narrative! it see&s to be sli'htl better than Ji&8s paralsis and
total la"k of a"tion. 6he 1ala steers&en also provide perspe"tive on Ji&. ;oth espouse so&ewhat si&plisti"
"on"eptions of dutD one believes it his (ob not to think at all! while the other holds to a naMve faith in the &otives of
the white offi"ers. ;oth! of "ourse! do the 9ri'ht9 thin' b stain' on the ship! but neither! it see&s! has an thou'ht of
be"o&in' a hero b doin' so. 6he are (ust doin' their (ob. :hereas neither a sense of dut nor the opportunit to
fulfill his fantasies of herois& are enou'h to keep Ji& on board the Patna! the two 1alas do what Ji& lon's to have
done out of a sense of professionalis& skewed b their position in the "olonial order. /oes Conrad essentiali*e these
two as si&plisti" natives bound b their la"k of intelli'en"e to loalt to the white 9&aster9H ?r are these &en instead
a powerful "riti7ue of Ji&8s professional abilities and his propensit to dadrea&H 6he %ren"h lieutenant is the &ost
"o&plete and &ost da&nin' fi'ure of analo' to Ji&. He! like the 1alas! stas aboard the Patna out of a sense of
dut. He doesn8t want to be a hero2 he onl wants to do his (ob! and if possible be "o&fortable enou'h to have a 'lass
of wine with his &eal. Jet his experien"e aboard the ship has left hi& with a sort of honorable s"ar! like the saber
wound on his te&ple or the bullet s"ar on his hand. He and 1arlow! stran'ers otherwise! are so&ehow drawn to ea"h
other and i&&ediatel into the stor of the Patna. 6he %ren"h lieutenant8s a"tions have not &ade hi& a hero! thou'h2 as
the next "hapter reveals! he has not risen far in the %ren"h nav! althou'h he is now an old &an. 6here is nothin'
heroi"! it see&s! about doin' one8s dut2 perhaps stain' on board would not have fulfilled a fantas for Ji&.
4lthou'h Ji& has filled in &ost of the stor of the Patna in this se"tion! he o&its the &o&ent where he (u&ps into the
lifeboat. 6he narrative8s use of ellipsis @or o&issionA at ke &o&ents of de"ision0&akin' indi"ates the inse"ure status
of &otive and explanation in this world. Ji& tries to explain to 1arlow wh it is oka that he (u&ped00he would have
had to abandon ship sooner or later anwa! the bulkhead was bound to fail! there was nothin' he "ould do alone00but
he does not approa"h the a"tual &o&ent of his leap. >e&e&ber that Captain ;rierl8s leap overboard is not narrated
either. 6hese are the &o&ents around whi"h the text is built! et the so&ehow es"ape the &ass of words and
explanations that des"ribe the&. 4nother episode that has a parallel in an earlier se"tion of the text is Ji&8s en"ounter
with the pil'ri& askin' for water. 4s he does in the 9"ur9 episode! Ji& &istakes the &eanin' of a sin'le word!
assu&in' it "ontains a depth of knowled'e @about Ji&8s "hara"ter in the "ase of 9"ur!9 about the "ondition of the ship in
the "ase of 9water9A when reall the word is onl a si&ple referen"e @to a do'! to thirstA. #f su"h si&ple
"o&&uni"ations "an 'o so awr! the "apa"it of words to des"ribe "o&plex e&otional states and un"lear &otives &ust
be hi'hl suspe"t.
6his se"tion of the novel! in addition! is one in whi"h 1arlow parti"ularl stru''les with the funda&ental &ster of
Ji&8s a"tions and his own fas"ination with the&. 1arlow even has a diffi"ult ti&e findin' a word for what is &issin'2
9&a'nifi"ent va'ueness!9 9'lorious indefiniteness!9 and 9the #rrational9 are so&e of the phrases he offers to des"ribe
the &eanin' at the heart of Ji&8s experien"es. 6he %ren"h lieutenant is e7uall at a loss for words to denote the
inexpli"abilit of the a"tions of the Patna8s "rew. 5oti"e that Conrad offers &an of the &an8s phrases in the ori'inal
%ren"h! as if the ver a"t of translation would &iss so&e essential &eanin' that the %ren"h word barel "aptures.
1arlow "ontinues to tor&ent Ji&! &akin' sar"asti" re&arks and throwin' his words ba"k at hi&. His en"ounter with
the %ren"h lieutenant! thou'h! su''ests (ust how deepl Ji&8s stor has s"arred 1arlow2 it follows hi& wherever he
'oes and leads hi& into en"ounters with other 9survivors.9
Chapters 1I 0 18
B
+u&&ar
1arlow "on"ludes his "onversation with the %ren"h lieutenant. He tells the &an the stor of the in7uir and subse7uent
events. +o&ehow! the &an dis"erns 1arlow8s interest in Ji& and in7uires whether Ji&! too! ran off rather than stand
trial. 6his leads the lieutenant to &editate on braver and fear. ,ike 1arlow! he fails to find words for what he is trin'
to sa! and as the take leave of one another! 1arlow is stru"k b the futilit of "onversation.
1arlow &entions that he has seen Ji& re"entl! workin' as a water0"lerk @see Chapter 1A in the port of +a&aran'. He
also notes that it is throu'h his re"o&&endation that Ji& 'ot the (ob. 1arlow di'resses briefl to tell the stor of ;ob
+tanton! a sailor he on"e knew who also spent so&e ti&e as a water0"lerk! who drowned trin' to save a wo&an after a
ship "ollision. 1arlow 'oes ba"k in ti&e to the dinner with Ji& at his hotel! re"allin' that the next da was to be Ji&8s
da of senten"in'. 6hat ni'ht! 1arlow &akes Ji& the offer he has dis"ussed with Captain ;rierl! tellin' hi& that if he
"hooses to flee! 1arlow will provide hi& with &one and a (ob re"o&&endation. Ji& refuses. 1arlow reali*es that
Ji& has &ade the ulti&ate appeal to his @1arlow8sA e'oD would 1arlow behave the wa Ji& does! in the sa&e
situationH 1arlow thinks he8d be able to do better. 6he next &ornin'! 1arlow 'oes to the "ourt to hear the verdi"t. 6he
"ourt finds the Patna to have been unfit to 'o to sea! dee&s her navi'ation and operation up to the a""ident proper!
de"lines to spe"ulate as to the "ause of the "ollision! and finds the "rew dereli"t in their duties! revokin' their offi"ers8
"ertifi"ations. ,eavin' the "ourt! 1arlow en"ounters Chester and Captain >obinson! two suspi"ious "hara"ters who
have staed one step ahead of the law for ears. 6he dis"uss with 1arlow a business s"he&e in whi"h the want to
involve Ji&. 6he want to find a dereli"t old boat and send it out to a deserted! waterless island to harvest 'uano @bird
droppin'sA! whi"h "an then be sold as fertili*er to su'ar planters in 4ustralia! and the want Ji& to "o&&and the boat.
1arlow refuses to &ake Ji& the offer! and the &en insult Ji&! notin' that at least the island won8t sink.
4ware of Ji&8s vulnerabilit to people like Chester and >obinson now that he has been punished! 1arlow finds hi&
and takes hi& ba"k to his hotel roo&! where he writes letters as Ji& stru''les with his own thou'hts. 1arlow ad&its
his responsibilit to Ji& and thinks about was to help hi&. +uddenl 1arlow draws ba"k and reveals to the audien"e
that soon Ji& will be 9loved! trusted! ad&ired! with a le'end of stren'th and prowess for&in' round his na&e.9 He
explains wh he will not present Chester and >obinson8s offer to Ji& @9he is too interestin' or too unfortunate to be
thrown to the do's9A! and notes that their expedition was lost without a tra"e after a hurri"ane. 6he narrative returns to
1arlow8s hotel roo&. Ji& tells 1arlow that he thinks he will have another "han"e to be"o&e a hero! that he8s 9bound to
"o&e upon so&e sort of "han"e to 'et it all ba"k a'ain.9 1arlow "onvin"es Ji& to sta a little lon'er and persuades
hi& to a""ept a letter of re"o&&endation for a (ob. Ji& thanks hi& for 'ivin' hi& a 9"lean slate.9
1arlow re"eives a letter fro& Ji&8s new e&ploer! praisin' Ji&. 6he &an wonders at what Ji& has done to need
1arlow8s prote"tion! but sas that Ji& is 9bloo&in'. . .like a violet9 in his new position. 5ot lon' afterward! 1arlow
re"eives another letter fro& his friend. Ji& has departed suddenl! leavin' onl a note of apolo'. #n the sa&e bat"h of
&ail! there is a letter fro& Ji&! explainin' that the se"ond en'ineer fro& the Patna turned up and 'ot a (ob with Ji&8s
e&ploer. 6he en'ineer tor&ented Ji&! re&indin' hi& of the in"ident2 the an'uish for"ed Ji& to leave. 1arlow soon
runs into Ji&! who is now workin' as a water0"lerk in another port. >eturnin' to that port a few &onths later! he finds
that Ji& has a'ain 7uit a pro&isin' (ob! this ti&e be"ause a da&a'ed stea&er "arrin' pil'ri&s had put in! and the
Patna "ase had a'ain be"o&e a sub(e"t of "onversation. His &ost re"ent e&ploer re&arks to 1arlow that he had told
Ji& that! althou'h he didn8t know what he had done! 9the earth wouldn8t be bi' enou'h to hold his "aper.9
Co&&entar
6his se"tion explores the after&ath of Ji&8s 9"onvi"tion.9 Ji& believes that he still has the "han"e to be a hero! but
Chester and >obinson8s 7uestionable offer and his diffi"ult in retainin' a (ob su''est otherwise. Ji& has been &arked
in so&e wa b his a"tions @or la"k of a"tionA. 1arlow hints at a &sterious future for Ji&! however! in whi"h he will
be wildl su""essful! althou'h the state&ent is 7ualified in an odd wa2 1arlow sas that a le'end will develop around
Ji& 9as thou'h he had been the stuff of a hero.9 :h is Ji& (ust "o&parable to a hero in the future! rather than a"tuall
be"o&in' oneH #t see&s that the &o&ent that has been o&itted fro& the narrative! the &o&ent of Ji&8s leap overboard!
will be"o&e the &o&ent that defines his life! and that! for Ji&! there "an be no su"h thin' as a 9"lean slate.9 6his is in
part a result of his punish&ent. 6ried b a "ourt of his professional peers! Ji& has been found to be unfit to keep the
"ertifi"ation he earned as a oun' &an2 in so&e wa! he8s no lon'er 9one of us.9
1arlow! however! still thinks that he and Ji& do belon' to the sa&e fraternit. He helps Ji& re"over so&e se&blan"e
of a life and "ontinues to follow hi& with interest. 1arlow8s interpretive skills are "alled into 7uestion in this se"tion!
thou'h! as he de"lares hi&self 9unenli'htened9 b his en"ounter with Ji&. He also &akes the stran'e "lai& that b
helpin' Ji& out he 9had saved hi& fro& starvation00of that pe"uliar sort that is al&ost invariabl asso"iated with
drink.9 6his is a stran'e "lai& to &ake. #t doesn8t s7uare with what we know of Ji&! and it doesn8t see& in line with
1arlow8s opinion of Ji& in 'eneral. Perhaps 1arlow has be'un to fear the i&pli"ations of his own asso"iation with
Ji&! and "o&&ents like this one are a wa for hi& to distan"e hi&self. Chester and >obinson approa"h hi& be"ause of
his buddin' friendship with Ji&! after all! and 1arlow hi&self sadl notes that! of he and Ji&! 9it was et he! of us two!
who had the li'ht.9 Ji& &a have been publi"l "onde&ned! but it is 1arlow who has no "han"e. Ji& see&s to be
headed for a su""essful future! while 1arlow will be left onl to repeat Ji&8s tale to anone who will listen.
Chapters 1- 0 <I
B
+u&&ar
Ji& "ontinues to wander fro& (ob to (ob! 9flin'Fin'G awa FhisG dail bread so as to 'et FhisG hands free to 'rapple with
a 'host9 as 9an a"t of prosai" herois&.9 He be"o&es well0known as an e""entri" in his part of the world2 althou'h he
runs awa ever ti&e the Patna is &entioned! everone knows who he is. 4fter Ji& re(e"ts 1arlow8s su''estion that he
'o to 4&eri"a! 1arlow de"ides to "onsult +tein! the proprietor of a lar'e tradin' "o&pan with posts in 9out0of0the0
wa pla"es9 where Ji& "ould &ore easil live in pea"e. +tein! a""ordin' to 1arlow! is extre&el trustworth and wise.
:e learn a little about +tein8s pastD he es"aped =er&an as a oun' &an after 'ettin' entan'led with revolutionaries!
then "a&e to the )ast #ndies with a /ut"h naturalist. +tein re&ained in the area with a +"ottish trader he had &et! who
be7ueathed hi& his tradin' e&pire and introdu"ed hi& to a 1ala 7ueen. +tein be"a&e an adviser to the 7ueen8s son!
1oha&&ed ;onso! who was battlin' several relatives for the throne. He &arried ;onso8s sister and had a "hild with
her! and be'an to "olle"t beetles and butterflies. ;onso was assassinated! and +tein8s wife and "hild died fro& a fever.
+tein tells 1arlow an ane"dote about a parti"ular butterfl spe"i&en in his "olle"tion. ?ne &ornin'! he was tri"ked
into leavin' his "o&pound b an ene& of ;onso8s and was a&bushed alon' the road. 4fter fei'nin' death! he
atta"ked and dispat"hed his atta"kers with bullets! but a few es"aped. +uddenl! he saw a rare butterfl 'lide past hi&.
1ovin' 7ui"kl! he "aptured it in his hat! holdin' a revolver in his other hand in "ase the bandits should reappear. +tein
des"ribes that da as one of the best of his life2 he had defeated his ene&! possessed friendship and love! and a"7uired
a butterfl he had lon' desired.
1arlow tells +tein he has "o&e to hi& to dis"uss a 9spe"i&en.9 He re"ounts Ji&8s stor for +tein! who i&&ediatel
9dia'noseFsG9 Ji& as 9ro&anti".9 +tein elaborates on Ji&8s "risis of self0identit! sain' that what Ji& needs is to learn
9how to live9 in a world that he "annot alwas i'nore. +tein sas that he hi&self has had &o&ents in whi"h he has let
heroi" drea&s slip awa! and he tells 1arlow that he will help hi& do so&ethin' 9pra"ti"al9 for Ji&. +tein su''ests
that the send Ji& to Patusan! a re&ote territor where he has a tradin' post. 6he pla"e will! 1arlow sas! turn out to
offer hi& 9a totall new set of "onditions for his i&a'inative fa"ult to work upon.9 Patusan see&s to be a pla"e no one
visits! whose ver na&e stands in for the hidden and unknown. +tein has used Patusan as an exile for those in need
before2 he tells 1arlow of a /ut"h01ala wo&an with a troubled histor &arried to an odious tradin' a'ent na&ed
Cornelius who& he wished to help. He &ade Cornelius the &ana'er of the Patusan post! but the wo&an has sin"e died!
and the wo&an8s dau'hter! under the 'uardianship of Cornelius! is the onl obsta"le to his repla"e&ent b Ji&. +tein
offers Ji& the post! with the understandin' that Cornelius and the 'irl be allowed to sta on in Patusan.
1arlow (u&ps forward in ti&e! to a &o&ent when he visits Ji& in Patusan. 4lthou'h it is not et "lear how! Ji& has
be"o&e an in"redible su""ess! and 1arlow is astonished. He re&inds hi&self that he and +tein had onl sou'ht to keep
Ji& out of the wa! and that! on his part! he had (ust wanted to dispose of Ji& before returnin' to )urope for a ti&e. He
ad&its that he had feared the "lai& that Ji& now has on hi& be"ause of their a"7uaintan"e. 1arlow di'resses for a
&o&ent to des"ribe Patusan &ore fullD it is a s&all territor thirt &iles inland up a river! whi"h the flow of histor
has lar'el bpassed. #n the seventeenth "entur! /ut"h traders often visited in order to trade for pepper. +o&ehow!
thou'h! the trade stopped! and now the "ountr is a ba"kwater! ruled b a 9+ultan FwhoG is an i&be"ile outh with two
thu&bs on his left hand.9 6he de fa"to ruler of Patusan! however! is the +ultan8s un"le! >a(ah 4llan'! a de"ain'!
power0&ad opiu& fiend who& 1arlow en"ounters when he visits Ji&. +tein and 1arlow offer Ji& the Patusan post!
whi"h he a""epts. 1arlow &akes hi& a 'ift of a revolver! and +tein! wishin' to repa his debt to the +"ottish trader
who laun"hed hi&! 'ives Ji& letters of introdu"tion and a silver rin'! whi"h he is to present to /ora&in! an old
"o&rade of +tein8s. Ji& returns fro& re"eivin' +tein8s "o&&ission full of fire! ea'er to i&press upon 1arlow the
ro&anti" aspe"ts of the situation! parti"ularl the idea of the rin' as a token of friendship and re"o'nition. 1arlow
finds hi&self 9thorou'hl si"k9 of Ji&! who is foolish enou'h to 9hurl defian"e9 at the universe. Ji& hurriedl pa"ks
his possessions! in"ludin' a volu&e of +hakespeare @whi"h surprises 1arlowA and ships for Patusan. 6he "aptain of the
ship that is to "arr hi& tells 1arlow! who "o&es aboard to offer Ji& "artrid'es for the revolver! that he will "arr Ji&
onl to the &outh of the river leadin' to Patusan! sin"e he was fired upon b the natives the last ti&e he tried to as"end
the river. 1arlow later learns that the &an was publi"l hu&iliated and i&prisoned b >a(ah 4llan'. 6he ship is about
to depart! so 1arlow takes leave of Ji&! who is still e"stati" over the 9&a'nifi"ent "han"e9 before hi&. 4s 1arlow8s
boat pulls awa fro& the ship! Ji& shouts a predi"tionD 98Jou00shall00hear00of00&e.89
Co&&entar
+tein offers a "ontrast to both 1arlow and Ji&. ,ike Ji&! he is! or at least was as a outh! invested in ideas of the
heroi"! startin' out as a revolutionar! then be"o&in' a traveler! a partisan fi'hter! and finall a "on7uerin' "apitalist.
/espite so&e self0ad&itted defeats and the loss of his wife and "hild! he has "onstru"ted a satisfin' existen"e for
hi&self b takin' advanta'e of the opportunities offered hi& b others @the /ut"h naturalist! the +"ottish traderA. ,ike
1arlow! he feels an i&&ediate sense of identifi"ation with Ji&. His approa"h to Ji& is 7uite different fro& 1arlow8s!
however. :hile 1arlow "onsiders Ji& 9one of us!9 +tein sees hi&! as 1arlow su''ests he will! as a 9spe"i&en!9 like
one of his butterflies. 1arlow! and even the &e&bers of the "ourt of in7uir! have been "onsiderin' Ji& al&ost as a
sort of &utation00an avera'e &an who for so&e reason displas the worst that lurks inside of all &en. 6he "ourt of
in7uir &ust "ast Ji& out! s&boli"all "astin' the evil out of the&selves. 1arlow is fas"inated! seein' in Ji& his own
dark side. +tein! however! 9dia'noses9 Ji& as displain' one a&on' an infinite variet of 9&aladies9 or abnor&alities.
+tein deter&ines hi& to be a 9ro&anti"!9 and a""ordin'l sends hi& to the sa&e pla"e he has sent another da&a'ed
ro&anti"! the /ut"h01ala wo&an.
Patusan is an appropriate pla"e for Ji& in &ore was than one. 5oti"e the rese&blan"e between the words 9Patna9 and
9Patusan92 we know before he 'ets there that Ji& is destined to repeat in so&e wa the in"ident aboard the Patna.
Patusan! too! is a pla"e where ro&anti"! heroi" idealis&00the hi'h adventure of the 7uest for pepper00"oexists with
pra'&atis& and harsh realit. 6he territor was abandoned b histor! is diffi"ult to rea"h! and has de'enerated to the
point of bein' ruled b a outh with "on'enital defor&ities that would see& to be the result of inbreedin'. Ji& is
thrilled to have another "han"e! and his hubris is un&istakableD 9Jou00shall00hear00of00&e.9 1arlow and +tein8s partin'
'ifts! thou'h! foreshadow the kind of pla"e he will find. 6he revolver su''ests Ji& will need to rel! to so&e extent! on
brute for"e! and the te"hnolo'i"al superiorit of the white &an. 6he rin' su''ests that Ji& is enterin' a world of
suspi"ion! distrust! and fa"tions! where identit re7uires phsi"al proof and a &an8s word is not enou'h. ;oth hint that
heroi" ideals &a be irrelevant here.
#roni"all! +tein and 1arlow are burin' Ji& the wa Chester and >obinson su''ested. 6he onl es"ape for Ji&! it
see&s! is to 'o so&ewhere where no one has heard of the Patna. Jet in the e"ho of the na&e of the ship in the na&e of
the territor! and in 1arlow8s repeated in"ursions to see Ji& despite bein' 9si"k9 of hi& and wantin' to 9dispose9 of
hi&! it is i&plied that es"ape will not be possible! that! no &atter what he does! Ji& will still be the sa&e &an who
abandoned the Patna. 4t this point in the narrative! 1arlow8s &ost re"ent infor&ation is that Ji& is a total su""ess. Jet
1arlow! at the end of Chapter <1! tells his audien"e that he still awaits 9the last word9 on Ji&. He 'oes further to sa!
too! that it &a be that the 9last word9 "annot be trusted! sin"e it will be open to &isinterpretation in the &inds of its
hearers.
Chapters <$0 <7
B
+u&&ar
1arlow visits Ji& in Patusan two ears after Ji&8s arrival there. He has "o&e to offer Ji& the tradin' post house and
the sto"k of 'oods as a 'ift! on behalf of +tein. He finds a villa'e of fisher&en on the "oast who tell hi& of the pea"e
that Ji& has brou'ht to the area. 1arlow8s infor&ant refers to Ji& as 96uan Ji&!9 or ,ord Ji&! and tells hi& that he
brou'ht Ji& up the river in a "anoe two ears a'o @when tradin' ships were still refusin' to enter the river be"ause of
the hostile nativesA. 1arlow is astounded that Ji&8s predi"tion00that he would hear of hi&00is bein' fulfilled. He notes
that Ji&8s arrival was a &a(or disruption to the area! sin"e the natives had for'otten what white &en were. Ji&8s
unheralded appearan"e! 1arlow8s unloaded revolver "radled in his lap! "reated an opportunit of whi"h Ji& was 7ui"k
to take advanta'e. 6he fisher&en deliver Ji& strai'ht to >a(ah 4llan'. Ji&8s revolver is unloaded! so he has no wa of
defendin' hi&self! and he a'rees to see the >a(ah. 6he >a(ah i&prisons Ji& in a sto"kade for several das.
Ji& takes 1arlow to see the >a(ah! pointin' out where he was i&prisoned. He pauses to settle a dispute between the
>a(ah and so&e villa'ers! then "ontinues with his storD :hile he is a prisoner of 4llan'8s! he is sub(e"ted to absurd
treat&ent00asked to fix a broken 5ew )n'land "lo"k! interro'ated about /ut"h "olonial strate'! 7uestioned as to his
&otives. He &ana'es to es"ape the sto"kade fairl easil b leapin' over the wall and stru''lin' up a &udd slope
after (u&pin' a "reek. Upon his es"ape! Ji& rushes to /ora&in8s "o&pound and presents +tein8s silver rin'. He is
re"eived with war&th! and /ora&in8s people prepare to repel the >a(ah. /ora&in! 1arlow relates! is the leader of one
of the &ost powerful fa"tions in Patusan! a 'roup of &er"hants "alled the ;u'is! who had e&i'rated fro& Celebes
&an ears a'o. 1ost of the "onfli"t in Patusan ste&s fro& >a(ah 4llan'8s atte&pts to enfor"e a tradin' &onopol and
/ora&in8s insisten"e on violatin' 4llan'8s pro"la&ation. Ji& finds the ;u'is ar'uin' over the wisdo& of allin'
the&selves with +herif 4li! an 4rab reli'ious *ealot who! alon' with his band of tribes&en fro& the interior! has been
de"i&atin' the "ountrside around Patusan. +o&e of the ;u'is want to (oin with 4li to overthrow 4llan'.
Ji& &eets /ain :aris! /ora&in8s son! who is to be"o&e his best friend. #t soon o""urs to Ji& that he has an
opportunit to &ake pea"e in Patusan and thus &ake a na&e for hi&self. Ji& proposes that the ;u'is or'ani*e an
atta"k on 4li. /ain :aris is i&&ediatel enthusiasti"! and the plan &oves forward. Ji& oversees the transfer of
/ora&in8s &ea'er artiller to a hilltop! fro& whi"h the atta"k is laun"hed and 4li defeated. 1arlow re&arks at the trust
the ;u'is pla"ed in Ji& in followin' hi& into battle. 4n old &an tells 1arlow that &an think Ji& possesses
supernatural powers. Ji& see&s even &ore 9s&boli"9 to 1arlow than ever. #n re"ountin' the atta"k! Ji& &entions the
valor of his servant! 6a&b8#ta&! a refu'ee fro& 4llan' who has devoted hi&self to Ji&. #n triu&phin' over +herif 4li!
Ji& has finall be"o&e a hero! and the people of Patusan await his "o&&and.
Co&&entar
#t is appropriate that 1arlow re&arks on how 9s&boli"9 Ji& see&s to hi& at this &o&ent. %ro& this point onward!
Ji& be'ins to re"ede fro& the text. 6he te&poral pro'ression of the narrative be"o&es ever &ore "onvoluted! as
1arlow has to work harder and harder to pie"e to'ether the stor. Ji& no lon'er spends entire "hapters stru''lin' to
express his inner an'uish. #nstead! the narrative is "o&posed of his polished00if so&ewhat slan'00a""ounts of his
a"tions! interspersed with s&all set0pie"e lands"apes. #t appears that Ji&8s hubris has been enablin'! not fatal. 1arlow
feels distant fro& Ji&2 if Ji& was on"e 9one of us!9 1arlow has no "lai& to bein' 9one of the&!9 a person like the new
Ji&. 1arlow su''ests that nothin' "an tou"h Ji& now! sin"e he has es"aped fro& the shadow of the Patna in"ident.
Ji&8s le'end is be'innin' to bloat! thou'h! as he revels in the unli&ited trust of his people and whispers of his
supernatural abilities spread. He see&s to be in peril even while on top of his world.
Conrad uses the two new relationships des"ribed in this se"tion to s"rutini*e so&e of the tropes of "olonial literature.
6a&b8#ta& is the 7uintessential loal servant! and /ain :aris is the ulti&ate 9other9 onto whi"h a nearl ho&oeroti"
ra"ial essentialis& is pro(e"ted. His relationship with Ji& is des"ribed as 9one of those stran'e! profound! rare
friendships between brown and white in whi"h the ver differen"e of ra"e see&s to draw two hu&an bein's "loser b
so&e &sti" ele&ent of s&path.9 6his is Conrad at his &ost disin'enuous. Patusan see&s to be populated b two
kinds of individualsD 9noble sava'es!9 like /ain :aris! whose astoundin' abilities and &oral "hara"ter lead to hi&
bein' "alled a 9white &an9 b his own people2 and dissolute! dirt! s"he&in' representatives of a de"ain' hu&anit!
like 4llan'. 6he extre&es in these two "ari"atures! espe"iall when "o&pared with the subtle &editations on "hara"ter
and the wide variet of people 9like us9 in the first se"tion of the book! see& to fun"tion as a subtle "riti7ue of
representations of "olonial sub(e"ts. 4t ti&es! Conrad "an be too subtle! thou'h2 he has o""asionall been a""used of
ra"ist dis"ourse hi&self. 6he (uxtaposition of extre&es and the repla of stereotpes su''est! however! that Conrad is
full knowled'eable of his literar a"tions and &eans to be subversive.
Chapters <8 0II
B
+u&&ar
%ollowin' the defeat of +herif 4li! Ji& be"o&es the virtual ruler of Patusan. 1arlow notes that there see&s to be little
that Ji& "annot do. 1arlow re"ounts an interview with /ora&in and his wife! in whi"h /ora&in "onfesses to 1arlow
that he wishes to see his son! /ain :aris! ruler of Patusan. /ora&in is also "on"erned that Ji&8s rise to power! while
benefi"ial to the ;u'is! will attra"t the attention of white &en to Patusan. /ora&in8s wife! &eanwhile! interro'ates
1arlow about Ji&8s past. +he wants to know wh he left the "ivili*ation with whi"h he was fa&iliar to "o&e to a tin
ba"kwater. 1arlow "an8t reall answer her! and /ora&in is obviousl "on"erned b this. Ponderin' 9the unanswerable
wh of Ji&8s fate9 brin's 1arlow to tell of Ji&8s 9love.9 Ji& has fallen in love! it see&s! with the dau'hter of the
/ut"h01ala wo&an. Until now! this dau'hter has eked out a &ea'er existen"e in the ho&e of her stepfather!
Cornelius. 1arlow des"ribes her as beautiful! and! &ore i&portantl! as! like her &other! 9la"kin' the savin' dullness9
ne"essar to a""ept her situation. Ji& "alls her Jewel. 1arlow is stru"k b the at&osphere of both do&esti" happiness
and hi'h ro&an"e surroundin' the pair. He re"alls visitin' a nearb re'ion and en"ounterin' a "orrupt "olonial offi"ial!
who has heard of Ji& and Jewel and has &isinterpreted what Jewel a"tuall is. 6he offi"ial tells 1arlow that he has
heard of a white &an who possesses an enor&ous e&erald! whi"h he keeps "on"ealed on the bod of a wo&an! oun'
and pure! who stas with hi& at all ti&es. 6he offi"ial asks 1arlow to let Ji& know that he has friends who would be
interested in buin' the e&erald.
1arlow re"alls that he has seen ver little of Jewel! but that she see&s unusuall anxious about Ji&. 6a&b8#ta&! too!
see&s to be overl prote"tive. 1arlow notes that Cornelius is alwas skulkin' about Ji& rather o&inousl! and he
refle"ts that Ji& has been 'enerous in 'ivin' the &an his freedo&! and perhaps rather re"kless in not takin' proper
pre"autions to prote"t hi&self. Ji& staed with Cornelius upon his initial es"ape fro& >a(ah 4llan'! and his
&istreat&ent of Jewel has led Ji& to be ver "areful toward the &an! lest he inadvertentl &ake her situation worse.
Cornelius is apparentl 7uite bitter at havin' &arried Jewel8s &other and bein' sent to su"h a ba"kwater. He "onsiders
it his ri'ht to abuse the 'irl and to steal fro& the sto"k of 'oods "onsi'ned to hi& b +tein. +oon after his es"ape fro&
the >a(ah! Ji& be'ins to hear ru&ors that plans are bein' &ade to assassinate hi&. Cornelius offers to s&u''le hi& out
of the "ountr for ei'ht dollars. Jewel offers her help as an advisor. %inall! thin's "o&e to a head. Ji& wakes up one
ni'ht to find Jewel at his side! his revolver in her hand. +he leads hi& to a shed in the ard! where he dis"overs &en
lin' in wait for hi&. Pleased at finall en"ounterin' 9real dan'er!9 he shoots one of the& and for"es the others to leap
into the river. 4s he is tellin' 1arlow the stor of that ni'ht! Ji& points out his own valor! then on"e a'ain "hallen'es
1arlow8s evaluation of his @Ji&8sA worthiness! notin' that no one in Patusan would believe the stor of the Patna. Ji&
speaks of his desire to re&ain alwas in Patusan.
1arlow leaves Ji& and 'oes up throu'h the dark "ourtard to the house. He is "onfronted b Jewel! who see&s to have
so&ethin' to sa to hi& but is unable to speak. %inall! 1arlow is &ade to understand that she thinks he has "o&e to
take Ji& awa. He tells her that this is not the "ase. +he tells hi& that she does not want to 9die weepin'!9 as her
&other did. Jewel re"alls the ni'ht of her &other8s death! the wo&an breathin' her last while Jewel barred the door
with her bod a'ainst a ra'in' Cornelius. +he tells 1arlow that Ji& has sworn never to leave her! but that she is unable
to believe hi& entirel! sin"e her father and other &en have &ade and broken the sa&e pro&ise. +he de&ands that
1arlow tell her what the thin' is to whi"h Ji& often refers! the thin' that &ade hi& afraid and that he "an never for'et.
+ear"hin' for the proper phrase! 1arlow finall tells her that it is the fa"t that he is 9not 'ood enou'h9 that Ji& "an
never for'et. #n a ra'e! Jewel "alls 1arlow a liar! infor&in' hi& that Ji& said the sa&e thin'. 1arlow tries sheepishl
to ba"ktra"k! sain' that no one is 'ood enou'h. +he refuses to listen! thou'h! and the "onversation breaks off as
footsteps approa"h.
Co&&entar
6his se"tion fills in the events that o""ur after Ji&8s defeat of +herif 4li. 1ore i&portantl! thou'h! it offers the "han"e
for Ji& to develop hi&self as a ro&anti" hero. 1u"h of the a"tion and al&ost all of the "onversations in these "hapters
take pla"e at ni'ht. 6he pi"tures7ue aspe"ts of Patusan are e&phasi*edD the full &oon risin' over the hills! the stars
twinklin'! tor"hes burnin' in the dark. Patusan has "learl be"o&e so&ethin' of a paradise for Ji&. He wants to
re&ain there forever! and he finall feels as if he has been freed fro& the taint of the Patna in"ident! throu'h his own
valor and noble intentions. He even tells 1arlow that the people of Patusan wouldn8t believe the stor of the Patna! so
"onvin"ed are the of his essential "hara"ter. ;ut! (ust as the darkness of the ni'ht hides so&e of the essential s7ualor
of Patusan00the ra&sha"kle buildin's! the fetid &ud00so too does the overla of ro&an"e hide the funda&ental proble&
with Ji&. He &a have the love of a re&arkable wo&an and the trust of an entire people! but he still feels "o&pelled to
(ustif hi&self and "onfront 1arlow over 1arlow8s faith in his "hara"ter @9FJGou wouldn8t like to have &e aboard our
own ship00heH9A. 1arlow8s presen"e in Patusan is "onta&inatin' in so&e wa! sin"e he "an testif to Ji&8s previous
failure! et it is also essential! for 1arlow is still the one who &ust preserve Ji&8s stor. 6he narrative re&ains distant
fro& Ji&. 1arlow 'athers infor&ation throu'h "onversations with other people @/ora&in! JewelA and b &akin'
assu&ptions based on observations2 wh! for instan"e! is 6a&b8#ta& alwas lurkin' (ust outside 1arlow8s roo&H Ji& is
trapped in a horrible paradox. He is so&ehow 9too 'ood9 for Patusan2 therefore! his presen"e there &ust indi"ate a
dark se"ret that &akes it i&possible for hi& to live in the outside world. 6hose "losest to hi& suspe"t a proble&! and
de&and answers of 1arlow.
?n"e a'ain! too! a proble& arises "on"ernin' lan'ua'e and knowled'e. 1arlow notes that 9three hundred &iles
beond the end of tele'raph "ables and &ail0boat lines! the ha''ard utilitarian lies of our "ivili*ation wither and die! to
be repla"ed b pure exer"ises of i&a'ination.9 4lthou'h he has be"o&e a &an of publi" a"tion! Ji& is still an
ins"rutable fi'ure. 6hose around hi& wonder about his past! while spe"ta"ular ru&ors "ir"ulate outside of Patusan. 6he
"orrupt offi"ial 1arlow en"ounters has taken the na&e 9Jewel9 literall! assu&in' that Ji& is in possession of a lar'e
'e&stone rather than a lovin' "o&panion. 4'ain! as with the 9"ur9 and 9water9 in"idents &u"h earlier in the text!
lan'ua'e00a sin'le word00is sub(e"ted to interpretation. 6he interpreter! in this "ase the offi"ial! &akes the sa&e
&istake Ji& has &ade previouslD he pro(e"ts his own interests and his own view of the world onto another8s lan'ua'e!
and in the pro"ess lan'ua'e preserves and asserts its own essential ins"rutabilit. +eparated fro& those who 'ive it life!
lan'ua'e be"o&es sub(e"t to 9pure exer"ises of i&a'ination.9 6he narrative8s distan"e fro& Ji&! "o&bined with
in"reasin'l fre7uent 'li&pses of 1arlow retellin' this stor at a &u"h later date! "alls into 7uestion whether an
9truth9 lies behind this stor. 6he "lai& that 9FrGo&an"e haFsG sin'led Ji& for its own9 su''ests that there is so&ethin'
funda&entall obs"ure and fi"tionali*ed about the a""ount bein' 'iven to us.
Chapters I$ 0 IL
B
+u&&ar
1arlow! preparin' to leave Patusan! visits the 'rave of the /ut"h01ala wo&an. #n the darkness and silen"e! he
fan"ies hi&self the last &an on earth and re&arks on the for'otten! lost nature of Patusan. Cornelius appears and
be'ins to talk. 1arlow! notin' re'retfull that he see&s to be 9doo&ed to be the re"ipient of "onfiden"es!9 has no
"hoi"e but to listen. Cornelius tries to (ustif his treat&ent of Ji&! "itin' his fear of >a(ah 4llan' and his need to pla
both sides to save hi&self. 1arlow tells Cornelius that Ji& has for'iven hi&! althou'h 1arlow knows that Cornelius
a"tivel hates Ji& and that Ji& does not trust Cornelius. Cornelius ra'es at Ji&! 7uestionin' his intentions toward
Patusan! and at Jewel! "o&parin' her to her late &other. He then asks 1arlow to talk to Ji& for hi&. Cornelius wants a
&onetar 'ift in ex"han'e for his "ontinued 'uardianship of the 'irl after Ji& returns ho&e. 4stounded at the &an8s
vul'arit! 1arlow infor&s hi& that Ji& will not be leavin' Patusan. Cornelius erupts in a fit of an'er and frustration.
1arlow leaves Patusan the next &ornin'. Ji& a""o&panies hi& down the river to the "oast! as the (ourne b "anoe
9throu'h the ver heart of untou"hed wilderness.9 6he ali'ht at the "oastal villa'e! where two of the fisher&en ask for
an audien"e with Ji&. He and 1arlow take leave of one another2 for the first ti&e! Ji& speaks of the intense strain he
feels at trin' to 9'o on forever holdin' up FhisG end! to feel sure that nothin'9 of his past "an "o&e ba"k to spoil his
su""ess. 1arlow tells hi& the will not &eet a'ain! unless Ji& leaves Patusan. 1arlow departs for his ship! while Ji&
takes up with the fisher&en. /rawin' awa fro& shore! Ji&8s white0"lad fi'ure re&ains visible lon' after other details
have vanished.
1arlow ends his stortellin' session here. 4t this ti&e! he has no further knowled'e of Ji&! and the stor see&s
destined to re&ain in"o&plete. 6he narrative skips ahead two ears! when one of 1arlow8s audien"e re"eives a pa"ket
fro& 1arlow "ontainin' a sheaf of do"u&ents. 6his &an! who re&ains unna&ed! is the 'reatest doubter of 1arlow8s
take on Ji&8s stor! but he is also the &ost interested! and the &ost pole&i"al2 he de"lared that for Ji& to dedi"ate his
life to the non0white inhabitants of Patusan was like 989sellin' our soul to a brute.989 @6he use of triple 7uotes here is
re&arkable for its rarit! for the si&ple reason that it is "orre"t! and be"ause it is uni7uel evo"ative of Conrad8s dense!
laered narratives.A 6he pa"ket "ontains a letter fro& 1arlow explainin' that the en"losed papers represent the best he
has been able to do in pie"in' to'ether the rest of Ji&8s stor. #t also "ontains a letter fro& Ji&! in whi"h he "ontinues
to tr to (ustif hi&self and his plans to 1arlow2 a ver old letter with &oral advi"e fro& Ji&8s father! the parson2 and a
&anus"ript! written b 1arlow! detailin' the rest of Ji&8s adventures. 1arlow tells the pa"ket8s re"ipient that he
9affir&FsG nothin'9 of the truth or the &eanin'fulness of his a""ount! that perhaps Ji&8s final &essa'e is! in fa"t! in the
words that Ji& had wished to send to the outside world! nothin'.
Co&&entar
1arlow8s interpretation of Ji& shifts dra&ati"all durin' this se"tion. 4s he is leavin' Patusan! he sees Ji&! standin'
on the bea"h! as 9the heart of a vast eni'&a.9 #n the letter to his friend! however! he de"lares that Ji& is no lon'er the
9white spe"k at the heart of an i&&ense &ster9 but 9of full stature! standin' disre'arded. . .with a stern and ro&anti"
aspe"t! but alwas &ute! dark00under a "loud.9 1arlow8s initial evaluation! that Ji& stands at the "enter of an eni'&a!
su''ests that the va'ueness and diffi"ult that surround hi& "an be interpreted00after all! &steries and eni'&as have
i&plied solutions! if onl one is "apable of findin' the&. #f Ji& is alread of 9full stature!9 thou'h! and is &erel
9&ute9 and "louded! then perhaps the va'ueness and "onfusion surroundin' hi& are all there is to know. Ji&8s stor
'ains a few laers of distan"e in this se"tion! too! be"o&in' not a dire"t a""ount but a pat"hwork put to'ether b
1arlow fro& different sour"es. 1arlow is no lon'er tellin' the stor in person! either. #t "o&es to the na&eless reader
fro& a distan"e! as a written text. 5o lon'er "an the audien"e interro'ate 1arlow2 he8s not there. Ji&8s stor be"o&es
&ore of a fi"tional "onstru"t! &ore of an atte&pt to i&pose &eanin' on a series of events that &a not have an
intrinsi" &eanin'. 1arlow tells his friend that 9FiGt is i&possible to see FJi&G "learl.9 96here shall be no &essa'e!9 he
sas! 9unless su"h as ea"h of us "an interpret for hi&self fro& the lan'ua'e of fa"ts! that are so often &ore eni'&ati"
than the "raftiest arran'e&ent of words.9 6his state&ent hi'hli'hts the doubled "onfusion in 1arlow8s storD not onl
is his set of 9fa"ts9 va'ue and open to sub(e"tive &anipulation! but lan'ua'e00that whi"h "onves the fa"ts00is also
9"raft9 and arran'ed. 6his is wh 1arlow sends the re&ainder of Ji&8s stor to the person who has shown the &ost
doubt in the exalted &eanin' 1arlow as"ribes to it2 the na&eless re"ipient of 1arlow8s pa"ka'e will be the one least
likel to find in Ji&8s stor so&ethin' that8s not there.
?n"e a'ain in this se"tion! people approa"h 1arlow seekin' to a""ess Ji&. 1arlow is! of "ourse! the sole point of
"onne"tion between 9(ust Ji&9 and 9,ord Ji&!9 the onl person who has "onta"t with hi& in both his Patna and his
Patusan das. Ji& &a feel se"ure in his new little world! but the fa"t that people are "onstantl turnin' to 1arlow for
infor&ation should &ake hi& nervous.
Chapters I7 and I8
B
+u&&ar
1arlow8s narrative be'ins b des"ribin' an en"ounter with a din' pirate! =entle&an ;rown. 1arlow tells us that
;rown8s stor will fill in the 'aps of a narrative he has 'otten fro& a visit to +tein8s &an &onths before. 4rrivin' at
+tein8s! 1arlow re"o'ni*es a ;u'is who& he had o""asionall seen at Ji&8s. )nterin' +tein8s house! 1arlow finds
6a&b8#ta&! and asks hi& if Ji& is there. 6a&b8#ta& looks distrau'ht and sas! "rpti"all! 9He would not fi'ht.9 +tein
takes 1arlow to see Jewel! who is also at his house. 6he people fro& Patusan arrived two das a'o! a""ordin' to their
host. Jewel! 7uietl and "al&l! re&inds 1arlow that she had predi"ted that Ji& would leave her! as all &en do. +he
'ives 1arlow a brief sket"h of events! an a""ount that is not shared with the reader. +he is too distrau'ht to talk &ore!
and! when 1arlow en"ounters her later in the da! he upsets her still further b pointin' out that her distrust of Ji&
probabl "ontributed to whatever has happened. +tein reassures her that Ji& was true! and tells her he will tr to
explain it to her so&eda. 1arlow leaves +tein8s house in the "o&pan of 6a&b8#ta&! who "o&pletes Jewel8s narrative
@a'ain! the infor&ation about what happened to Ji& is not shared with the readerA.
1arlow be'ins to tell the stor of Ji&8s final fate b relatin' the histor of =entle&an ;rown! a su""essful pirate who
has be"o&e the representative ruffian of the area. ;rown is din'! sheltered in the hovel of a dissolute white &an in
;an'kok who worships ;rown8s le'end and feels privile'ed to let hi& die in his ho&e. ;rown tells 1arlow that he had
a run of bad lu"k! be'innin' with his "apture at the hands of a +panish patrol boat while s&u''lin' 'uns. He &ana'ed
to bribe his wa into an es"ape! stealin' another ship to repla"e his! whi"h had been disabled b his "aptors.
Unfortunatel! the stolen ship had ver little in the wa of fresh water or provisions on board! and ;rown feared
enterin' port in a stolen vessel. /in' of hun'er! he re"alls hearin' of the re&ote territor of Patusan. He and his "rew
an"hor off the fishin' villa'e and &ake their wa upriver in a boat fro& their ship. 6he fisher&en have &ana'ed to 'et
a warnin' to the people of Patusan! thou'h! and ;rown and his "rew are atta"ked the &o&ent the land. 6he are
for"ed to retreat to a s&all hilltop! where the di' in.
Co&&entar
1arlow8s interview with =entle&an ;rown is si&ilar in stru"ture to his interview with the al"oholi" se"ond en'ineer
of the Patna. 6hese two &orall! &entall! and phsi"all "orrupted &en serve as "onduits for parts of Ji&8s stor.
;rown is another fi'ure who "an be viewed as an alternate to Ji&. His life is patterned on ro&anti" tales and abstra"t
ideas of heroi"s! albeit rather i&&oral ones. He! too! is lar'el &otivated b fear of bein' held responsible for his
earlier a"tions! as the next "hapters will show. ;ut there is a realis& to ;rown8s stru''le to reali*e his &ental i&a'e of
hi&self! a realis& that Ji&8s stor la"ks. ;rown is a s&all0ti&e bandit! a bla"k&ailer of poor villa'ers2 his &istress dies
al&ost i&&ediatel after he steals her awa fro& her &issionar husband2 he hi&self is "onstantl sub(e"ted to the
exi'en"ies of everda life00thirst! hun'er! illness2 and he dies horribl! "hokin' to death in a ;an'kok slu&. ;rown8s
fate is an i&portant "ontrast to Ji&8s! whi"h will be"o&e "lear in a few "hapters. ;rown represents the real0life version
of ro&anti" tales. His life stor is the 'eneri" bastard "hild that o""urs when ro&an"e tries to be"o&e realit. Ji&8s
stor will end tra'i"all! but aestheti"all. Ji&8s atte&pt to &ake heroi" tales "o&e to life is not as su""essful as
;rown8s! thou'h. ;rown has alwas been a &an of a"tion! while Ji& is still &arked b his failure to a"t heroi"all
aboard the Patna. Perhaps this a""ounts for the differin' fates of their storiesD ;rown be"o&es the ver tpe of the
+outh Pa"ifi" ruffian! known even to those ba"k 9ho&e9 in )urope! while Ji& is onl of interest to a "oterie of
s&patheti" individuals! who &ust stru''le to pie"e to'ether the final "hapter of his histor! and who still find his tale
essentiall inde"ipherable.
Jewel8s rea"tion to 1arlow and his "o&&ents to her "o&pro&ise his "lai& to Ji&8s &e&or. 1arlow has often been
"ruel to Ji& in their "onversations! but his harshness in the fa"e of Jewel8s 'rief see&s extre&e. Jewel predi"ted Ji&8s
eventual infidelit based on her own life experien"e and that of her &other. +he see&s intelli'ent and "redible! and in
the end she turns out to be ri'htD Ji& does abandon her in favor of so&ethin' else! so&ethin' he per"eives to be better!
an ideal. +tein i&&ediatel ali'ns hi&self with 1arlow in his interpretation of Ji&8s a"tions @whi"h! re&e&ber! are
still &sterious to the readerA. Jewel su''ests that there is an alternative stor here! one in whi"h the worst thin' &a
not be the failure to reali*e a heroi" ideal but instead &a be the betraal of the people "losest to one. Her take on the
situation finds the a"tions that will be detailed in the su""eedin' "hapters selfish rather than unselfishl honest! and her
version of the stor! if it were told! would "onsider /ain :aris8s fate! not Ji&8s! to be the tra'i" out"o&e. 6hat 1arlow
privile'es the a""ount he 'ets fro& =entle&an ;rown rather than the versions fro& Jewel or 6a&b8#ta& is su''estive.
?n the other hand! 1arlow! a'ain! is the onl person in the novel who has known Ji& both in his &o&ent of 'reatest
failure and at his ti&e of 'reatest triu&ph! so perhaps he is the onl individual who has the ne"essar perspe"tive to
(ud'e Ji& trul.
Chapters I- 0 $<
B
+u&&ar
/ain :aris leads the initial atta"k a'ainst =entle&an ;rown and his &en. Unfortunatel! he is not able to rall his
people effe"tivel enou'h to rout the pirate! and Ji&! who "ould provide the inspiration and leadership needed! is awa
in the "ountrside. 4 "oun"il of war is held! at whi"h everone8s personal &otives 'et in the wa of a'ree&ent2
/ora&in wishes to prote"t his son! and >a(ah 4llan'! who is pretendin' to "ooperate! is se"retl workin' to for& an
allian"e with ;rown to brin' Ji& down. 6he >a(ah8s representative "onta"ts Cornelius and arran'es for hi& to serve as
a 'o0between with ;rown. Cornelius is a little too persuasive as to the friendliness of the >a(ah! the "har&s of Patusan!
and the ease with whi"h he "lai&s Ji& "an be defeated. ;rown de"ides to sta and fi'ht! not (ust for supplies and a
"han"e to es"ape! but to tr to sei*e the territor for hi&self. 1eanwhile! /ain :aris has sent "anoes downstrea& to
seal ;rown8s avenue of es"ape and reinfor"e&ent. ;rown dallies with Cornelius and the >a(ah! buin' ti&e and alwas
intendin' to double0"ross the&. ?ne of ;rown8s &en shoots a villa'er fro& a 'reat distan"e. 6he pirate hopes that this
will evoke fear a&on' the people of Patusan! and that the will overesti&ate his stren'th. 4s ni'ht falls! one of
;rown8s &en sneaks down to their bea"hed boat to 'et so&e toba""o that has been left there. He is not "autious
enou'h! however! and he is shot b a relative of the villa'er who was killed earlier in the da. ;rown and his &en have
to listen to the din' &oans of their "o&rade for several hours2 it is not until the tide "o&es in! drownin' hi& and
"arrin' hi& off! that his s"rea&s "ease.
Cornelius and ;rown talk a'ain. /ru&s be'in to beat in the villa'e! and fires are lit. Cornelius tells ;rown that this is a
si'n that Ji& has returned! and that Ji& will surel "o&e to talk to hi& fa"e to fa"e. He re"o&&ends that ;rown have
one of his &en shoot Ji& fro& a position of "over. 6his a"tion! he sas! will 'ive ;rown the ps"holo'i"al ed'e and
enable hi& to defeat the ;u'is. 6he next &ornin'! Ji& indeed approa"hes ;rown8s stron'hold. He and ;rown speak
waril. Ji& asks hi& what has brou'ht hi& to Patusan2 ;rown replies si&pl! 9Hun'er!9 and redire"ts the 7uestion
toward Ji&. Ji& is startled. ;rown asks hi& to re&e&ber that the are both white &en! and then re7uests that his &en
either be a&bushed dire"tl or allowed to leave! rather than left to starve and suffer like 9ratFsG in a trap.9 He ad&its to
Ji& that his 'reatest fear is of prison! and that this fear is what has &otivated hi& his entire life! even at this ver
&o&ent. 1arlow! listenin' to the stor at ;rown8s deathbed! wonders how &u"h of ;rown8s a""ount is the truth. Ji&!
bothered b so&ethin'! sas little to ;rown! but pro&ises hi& 9a "lear road FoutG or else a "lear fi'ht9 and leaves.
Cornelius ra'es at ;rown for not shootin' Ji& when he had the "han"e.
Ji& 'oes dire"tl to /ora&in to re"o&&end that ;rown be allowed to es"ape unhar&ed. /ora&in is relu"tant. Ji&
appeals to the people! re&indin' the& that he has never led the& wron'. /ora&in still hesitates! and Ji& de"lares that!
if the are to fi'ht! he will not lead. /ain :aris will have to "o&&and.
Co&&entar
=entle&an ;rown does the one thin' nearl ever other "hara"ter in this novel is afraid to doD he asks Ji& what it was
that he hoped to 'ain b "o&in' to Patusan. ;rown is honest about his own &otives and fears! and Ji& reali*es that he
has been livin' a lie. ;rown speaks the truth about Ji&2 to have hi& killed would see& like (ust another atte&pt at
de"eit. #n re"o&&endin' that ;rown be let 'o! Ji& does what is honorable for his personal reputation! not what is best
for Patusan. #n part! ;rown defeats Ji& b speakin' the 9truth9 about hi&2 in part! Ji& defeats hi&self b adherin' to a
false ideal. #n offerin' to defer to /ain :aris! Ji& is exer"isin' the onl option available to hi& that "o&pro&ises
neither hi&self nor Patusan. 5o heroi" a"tion is possible.
1arlow 7uestions the vera"it of ;rown8s a""ount of his "onversation with Ji&. 6his is an i&pli"it re&inder to the
reader to 7uestion 1arlow8s a""ount! to re&e&ber that we are re"eivin' the stor (ust as 1arlow does00in fra'&ents.
1ore obviousl! however! 1arlow is upset be"ause ;rown has appealed to Ji& on the basis of bein' 9one of us92
throu'h their "onversation runs 9a vein of subtle referen"e to their "o&&on blood! an assu&ption of "o&&on
experien"e2 a si"kenin' su''estion of "o&&on 'uilt. . .9 6his! of "ourse! is exa"tl the foundation on whi"h 1arlow
has pre&ised his own identifi"ation with Ji&. 5ow it see&s to link 1arlow! throu'h Ji&! to ;rown.
#ssues of ra"ial dna&i"s also arise in this se"tion. /ain :aris is unable to defeat ;rown initiall be"ause he does not
possess the &sti7ue of the white &an! a""ordin' to the narrative. 6he people of Patusan see& to have a faith in Ji&
that is naMve in the extre&e! based solel on his status as a white &an. :hen Ji& returns fro& the "ountrside! thin's
i&&ediatel return to nor&al despite the "ontinued presen"e of ;rown and his &en on the hilltop. ?n the other hand! it
is Cornelius who behaves the &ost despi"abl in this se"tion of the novel! and /ora&in who will turn out to be ri'ht.
4lso! it is ;rown who tells this part of the stor! and therefore it is his opinions that we are re"eivin'. 5evertheless!
Ji& is bein' asked to "hoose between the people of Patusan and a fellow white &an! and the situation is "ertainl
ra"iall "har'ed.
Chapters $I 0$5
B
+u&&ar
+waed b the people8s faith in Ji& and his own fear of riskin' his son /ain :aris! /ora&in a'rees to let =entle&an
;rown and his &en es"ape. Preparations are &ade. Jewel be's an exhausted Ji& not to take a"tive "o&&and. He tells
her that ever life in Patusan is his responsibilit now! sin"e the people have pla"ed their trust in his opinion.
6a&b8#ta& is sent downriver to notif /ain :aris that ;rown is to be allowed to pass. He takes with hi& +tein8s silver
rin' as a token of his identit. Ji& sends Cornelius to ;rown with a note infor&in' hi& that he will be allowed to 'o.
Cornelius delivers the note! then tells ;rown that an ar&ed part headed b /ain :aris! the ver &an who a&bushed
;rown initiall! waits downstrea&. Cornelius also tells ;rown that there is an alternate river "hannel that will take hi&
dire"tl behind /ain :aris8s "a&p! and that he! Cornelius! "an 'uide ;rown8s &en down it.
6wo hours before dawn! in a thi"k fo'! ;rown and his &en head down the river. Ji& "alls out that he will tr to send
the& so&e food. Unbeknownst to those ashore! Cornelius a""o&panies ;rown. :hen the rea"h the alternate "hannel!
Cornelius takes over the navi'ation. 1eanwhile! 6a&b8#ta& rea"hes /ain :aris8s "a&p with news of the tru"e. He
'ives /ain :aris the silver rin'! whi"h /ain :aris slips on his fin'er. 4 &o&ent later! =entle&an ;rown lands his
boat behind the "a&p to take his reven'e 9upon the world.9 He and his &en open fire. 1an fall dead! in"ludin' /ain
:aris! who takes a bullet in the forehead. ;rown and his &en leave as 7ui"kl as the "a&e.
6a&b8#ta&! who has not been hurt! rushes to his "anoe to 'et the news to /ora&in and Ji&. 4t the water8s ed'e! he
finds Cornelius stru''lin' to laun"h a boat and es"ape. 6a&b8#ta& strikes hi& twi"e! killin' hi&. 1arlow di'resses for
a &o&ent to report that a ship8s boat was pi"ked up a &onth after the &assa"re in the &iddle of the #ndian ?"ean. ?n
board were ;rown and two of his &en! who "lai&ed that the had been transportin' a "ar'o of su'ar when their ship
sprun' a leak and sunk. 6he two &en died aboard the res"ue vehi"le2 ;rown has survived to tell 1arlow this stor.
>eturnin' to the &ain narrative! 1arlow re"ounts 6a&b8#ta&8s arrival ba"k in Patusan. He finds Jewel! who
i&&ediatel fears /ora&in8s wrath for the death of his son. 5ext he "arries the news to Ji&! who prepares to 'o fi'ht.
6a&b8#ta& relu"tantl infor&s hi& that he is no lon'er safe a&on' the people of Patusan. 6his reali*ation hits Ji&
hard. 6a&b8#ta& and Jewel ur'e Ji& to fi'ht for his life. Ji& see&s not to hear the& and orders that the 'ates of his
"o&pound be opened and his &en dis&issed. /ain :aris8s bod is brou'ht to /ora&in8s "ourtard. +tein8s silver rin' is
found on his fin'er. /ora&in lets out a bellow and the "rowd be'ins to &ur&ur! reali*in' that the rin' "ould onl have
"o&e fro& Ji&. Ji& prepares to leave his house. Jewel re&inds hi& of his pro&ise not to leave her! and he tells her
that he would no lon'er be worth havin' if he didn8t leave. He departs for /ora&in8s. 6a&b8#ta& re"alls the fri'htful
aspe"t of the sk! and 1arlow notes that a ""lone passed near Patusan on that ver da.
Ji& arrives at /ora&in8s. 4pproa"hin' the old &an! he de"lares hi&self sorrowful and unar&ed. /ora&in stands!
sendin' the silver rin' rollin' toward Ji&. /ora&in shoots Ji& throu'h the heart! and Ji& falls dead. 1arlow ends the
narrative reiteratin' the dark! ro&anti" nature of Ji&8s life and his 9extraordinar su""ess.9 Jet! for 1arlow! Ji&
re&ains 9ins"rutable at heart!9 and the &eanin' of the narrative is still in 7uestion.
Co&&entar
#t is 1arlow! not Ji&! who has the last word on Ji&8s life! notin' si&pl that 9FhGe is 'one! ins"rutable at heart.9 6he
word 9heart9 has been asso"iated with Ji& over and over a'ain. He is des"ribed both as havin' a "ore! or 9heart!9 that
is in so&e wa unknowable or "onfusin'! and also as bein' at the 9heart9 of so&e vast pu**le. 6he doubled use of this
word points ba"k to so&e of the earlier in"idents of "onfusion over lan'ua'e @9"ur!9 9water!9 9(ewel9A and the failure of
lan'ua'e to have a definitive &eanin'. Ji&8s life has no definitive &eanin' either. 6he two 9hearts9 asso"iated with Ji&
are also su''estive of one of the funda&ental proble&s of the novelD is Ji& in fa"t representative of so&ethin' lar'er
than hi&selfH #s there an 9us9 that he is 9one of9H :hether he is at the heart of the ins"rutable or &erel ins"rutable at
heart is the funda&ental 7uestion 1arlow &ust answer. ; deferrin' to +tein! and speakin' of +tein8s approa"hin' end!
and b finishin' the narrative in a &anus"ript rather than in another session of stortellin'! 1arlow avoids the
7uestion. Perhaps it is a 7uestion that "annot be answered at all2 as 1arlow notes! so&e das Ji& see&s ver real to
hi&! so&e das Ji& see&s not to have existed at all.
4s 1arlow notes! Ji& has 9F'oneG awa fro& a livin' wo&an to "elebrate his pitiless weddin' with a shadow ideal of
"ondu"t.9 1arlow thus assi'ns Ji&8s stor to the real& of ro&an"e. 6he endin' of ,ord Ji& su''ests &ore of a fatal
"ollision between ro&an"e and realis& than an sort of viable! pure ro&an"e! thou'h. Ji&8s "hoi"e of the 9shadow
ideal of "ondu"t9 has led to the deaths of /ain :aris and other &en! and to the destru"tion of Jewel8s world. Had Ji&
not dwelt so fixedl on his failure in the Patna in"ident! he would have ordered the deaths of ;rown and his &en! and
all would have been well in Patusan. ?n the other hand! had Ji& not dwelt so fixedl on the Patna! he would never
have "o&e to Patusan! and ar'uabl not onl he but also the people of Patusan are better off for his presen"e. #dealis&
and notions of herois& lead to nothin' but paradox and sadness. 6his novel has &ore in "o&&on with He&in'wa8s
tales of da&a'ed and disillusioned &en or 6.+. )liot8s narratives of the forlorn and i&potent than it does with earlier
works in whi"h &oral upstandin'ness leads to death with honor! if not a happ endin' "o&plete with ri"hes and
beautiful wo&en. 6hat this se"tion "ontains &ore of the trappin's of traditional swashbu"klin' ro&an"e @the rin' as
token! the hero 'oin' to his death! the heartbroken heroineA is &eant to hi'hli'ht the "ontrast. 6he endin' is a &ixed
oneD Ji& dies! with a "urious &ixture of honor and sha&e! in a &anner at least so&ewhat si&ilar to an old0fashioned
hero! while 1arlow! like one of He&in'wa8s prota'onists! is left alive! sadder but not ne"essaril wiser.
6his is also a se"tion heavier in s&bolis& than &ost. 6he fo' whi"h envelops ;rown and his &en as the head
downriver "ontrasts with the extre&e "larit with whi"h 1arlow last sees Ji&! on the bea"h with the fisher&en. #t is
also indi"ative of the a&orphous &oralit of both ;rown8s and Ji&8s a"tions. ;rown! after all! thinks he has been
double0"rossed! based on the infor&ation Cornelius has 'iven hi&. Ji&! as we have alread seen! is "au'ht in a bind.
6he ni'ht of the Patna8s a""ident was "rstal0"lear and still2 nothin' should have obs"ured Ji&8s de"ision0&akin' then.
;e"ause he failed then! et has held on to his ideals! situations no lon'er have "lear solutions. ;rown! too! althou'h he
see&s to be a"tin' lo'i"all! is also punished! b bein' shipwre"ked soon afterward and din' a lon'! drawn0out death.
:eather! thou'h! is the pri&ar vehi"le for s&boli" "ontent. :hen the fo' "lears off! 6a&b8#ta& reports! the sk is in
tur&oil. 1arlow attributes this to a ""lone passin' nearb. 6his is another &o&ent when ro&an"e and realis& are at
odds. #n a ro&anti" world! the ""lone would have des"ended upon Patusan at the &o&ent of Ji&8s death! s&boli*in'
the disorder in the world that led to the destru"tion of our hero. #n a realisti" world! weather would be ordinar and
&eanin'less. 6he ""lone8s "lose approa"h su''ests a failure of both &odels2 so&ehow! Ji&8s death &ust be 'iven
i&port! et the issues surroundin' it are too &uddled and ro&an"e too out&oded for the full s&boli" perfor&an"e to
o""ur. 6his ""lone should be "ontrasted to the s7uall that hits the Patna! as well as to the ru&ored hurri"ane that wipes
out Chester and >obinson8s 'uano0"olle"tin' expedition to the :alpole >eef. Here! finall! the stor&00the s&bol of
hi'her powers or order00fails to i&pose its &eanin'.
4nalsis
B
,ord Ji& is re&arkable for its elaboratel woven s"he&e of narration! whi"h is si&ilar in &an was to that of 6he
=ood +oldier! a novel written b Conrad8s friend and "ollaborator %ord 1adox %ord. 6he narrative "o&es to the reader
pri&aril throu'h 1arlow! a world0wear sea "aptain who identifies deepl with Ji&8s fallibilities. 1arlow has
"o&plete "ontrol over the stor! thou'h! and he exer"ises his power in in"reasin'l "o&pli"ated was. 6i&e is broken
upD in a sin'le para'raph of narration! 1arlow will referen"e the past! the present! and the future. ; &anipulatin' the
flow of the narrative! 1arlow is able to "reate (uxtapositions and "ontrasts that hi'hli'ht parti"ular aspe"ts of the stor.
He is a &aster at withholdin' infor&ationD Ji&8s final fate be"o&es a &atter for dis"ussion ei'ht "hapters before the
reader learns what that fate a"tuall is. 6his "reates suspense! of "ourse! but it also allows 1arlow to shape the reader8s
eventual rea"tion when he or she does re"eive the relevant infor&ation. 1arlow also offers the reader narrative blo"ks
fro& a variet of sour"es! of differin' de'rees of reliabilit. 1u"h of the stor has "o&e fro& Ji&! but si'nifi"ant
se"tions have "o&e fro& other "hara"ters or have been pie"ed to'ether b 1arlow based on inferen"e. #nfor&ation is
"onveed b letters! &idni'ht "onversations! deathbed interviews! forwarded &anus"ripts! and! &ost si'nifi"antl! in
the for& of a tale told to an audien"e of listeners. 6he narrative o""asionall breaks to show 1arlow tellin' Ji&8s stor
to a 'roup of a"7uaintan"es at a &u"h later date. 6e&porall! this s"ene of stortellin' takes pla"e after Ji&8s arrival in
Patusan but before the arrival of =entle&an ;rown and Ji&8s eventual defeat. 1arlow &ust thus leave the stor
unfinished for a ti&e. He "o&pletes it b sendin' a &anus"ript to one &e&ber of his audien"e. 6his shift fro& an oral
&ode of stortellin' to a written for& of narrative is si'nifi"ant. 4 storteller has the power to shape his &aterial to
&at"h his audien"e8s response2 a writer! on the other hand! who works in solitude! &ust offer his distant reader a
predeter&ined &essa'e.
1arlow "onstantl ponders the 9&essa'e900the &eanin' of Ji&8s stor. His lan'ua'e is dense with ter&s like
9ins"rutable9 and 9inexpli"able!9 words that denote i&pre"ision and inde"ipherabilit! but whi"h also possess a "ertain
7ualit of un"ertaint in the&selves! as words. He stru''les to na&e thin's! and is often redu"ed to wonderin' if there
even is a &eanin' to Ji&8s stor and his fas"ination with it. +o&eti&es he "on"ludes that the &eanin' is an 9eni'&a92
so&eti&es he de"ides there is no &eanin' to be found at all. :ords are "onstantl bein' "ontested in this novel2 at
least three &a(or episodes "enter around the &isinterpretation of a sin'le spoken word. 6his un"ertaint about
lan'ua'e is the ke feature of Conrad8s stle. Conrad is the &aster of a hi'h! ele'ia" lan'ua'e that see&s to "ontain
depths of profundit nearl inexpressible in words. 4s one who did not learn )n'lish until he was in his twenties! he
&ust "ertainl have been aware of ea"h and ever word he used! and ea"h &ust have been "arefull "hosen. His
lan'ua'e is often deliberatel diffi"ult! and in that 7ualit his prose shares so&e of the features of &odernis&. ;ut his
di"tion also &at"hes! in its lin'uisti" diffi"ult! the the&ati" and interpretive diffi"ult of his &aterial. 6his snthesis
between for& and "ontent is powerful! &akin' Conrad8s prose a thin' of tortured beaut.
)ven &ore tortured is the analsis of idealis& and herois& that lies at the "enter of ,ord Ji&. Ji& is a oun' &an who
enters the world &otivated pri&aril b fantasies of darin' and noble deeds lifted fro& "heap novels. His ideals break
down! however! in the fa"e of real dan'er2 the are! in fa"t! untenable when applied to an for& of realit. 6his naMve
idealis& see&s absurd when it leads to Ji&8s refusal to for'et the Patna in"ident! but it leads to real tra'ed when he
allows it to 'uide his "ondu"t when Patusan is threatened. :hat is honorable behavior in this worldH Captain ;rierl!
who is presented as the pri&e exa&ple of su""ess both professionall and in ter&s of "hara"ter! "an8t live with hi&self
and "o&&its sui"ide. =entle&an ;rown! one of the &ost self0possessed and self0s"rutini*in' of &en! is nothin' but a
pett bandit. 4ll these &en are "onne"ted b bein' what 1arlow "alls 9one of us!9 but what does that ter& &eanH
#deals are a troubleso&e burden! and ea"h "hara"ter reveals to so&e de'ree a fear that he will be "onfronted with a
situation in whi"h he &ust "hoose between ideals of "ondu"t and a happ out"o&e.
,ike &an of Conrad8s works! ,ord Ji& is set in a "olonial world. 6he "riti7ue of "olonialis& is &u"h less "entral here!
however! than in a novel like Heart of /arkness. Colonialis& is &ost i&portant as a ba"kdrop to the a"tion and the
&oral stru''les. #n this world! the rules of 9ho&e9 @i.e. )uropean so"ietA do not ne"essaril appl! parti"ularl when
one is dealin' with &en who aren8t white. 5ational affiliations are &u"h &ore tenuous! too. ?ther alle'ian"es00the idea
of bein' 9one of us9 versus 9one of the&!9 for exa&ple00take their pla"e! alterin' expe"tations of honorable behavior.
1ost of all! thou'h! ,ord Ji& is a novel about stortellin'! and in the "onfusion and "onvolutions of its narrative for&
are refle"ted the a&bi'uities of its ideals and its settin'.