Nostromo by Joseph Conrad

Nostromo

Within the pages of Nostromo, Joseph Conrad attempts to reveal the human condition at its most fundamental state: a state of corruption, depravity, and moral degradation. It is with a unique level of unabashed daring that Conrad presents his depiction of man hidden from the moral light that guided so many other works of his time. In fact, Conrad wishes to utterly discard all preconceived notions of inherent human kindness, charity, or altruism, and instead reveal "men and women as their elemental selves." (Panichas 2002). His character Charles Gould is described as "the idealist-creator of material interests whom we must leave to his mine -- from which there is no escape in this world." (Conrad 1993). Thus, revealing the moral confusion surrounding material goods and often entrapping human beings.

We are told early on that there is a "sanctuary of peace sheltering the calm existence of Sulaco." (Conrad 1993). Yet, it quickly becomes apparent that this peace is deceptive. "Disorder in the form of recurrent military revolutions plagues Costaguana. Social and political breakdown is clearly the 'public theme' that Nostromo registers, and that affects the 'private histories' and destinies of the novel's characters." (Panichas 2002). In other words, the political and social turmoil present in Costaguana inevitably place the characters in ever-changing and turbulent situations. These shifting circumstances present unique problems for the characters Conrad portrays, who must make choices along the lines of courage, loyalty, morality, and self-interest.

The emotion that permeates the novel is that of fear. Overall, Conrad wishes to illustrate that the essence of human existence consists of fear and drives for self sustention. The social conflict raging in Costaguana mirrors the moral conflicts within Conrad's characters; savagery, opportunism, and betrayal are the ultimate earmarks of both. In many ways, all the battles within Nostromo could be termed as "moral wars."

From the opening paragraphs of Nostromo, Conrad underlines the dangerous nature of illusions. He describes the peninsula of Azuera as "a wild chaos of sharp rocks and stony levels cut about by vertical ravines." (Conrad 1993). It is said that these areas hold forbidden treasure and have brought about the demise of many "impious adventurers." (Conrad 1993). Two wondering sailors, "Americanos, perhaps, but gringos of some sort for certain," live among the rocks and are "under the fatal spell of their success. Their souls cannot tear themselves away from their bodies mounting guard over the discovered treasure." (Conrad 1993). This tale foreshadows the rest of the story; inevitably, the characters will fall victim to their own grand illusions -- tastes of glory and wealth.

Nevertheless, the silver mines attract Europeans eager to exploit their riches. Indeed, material interests are deeply rooted to vague notions of property, as the name "San Tome" suggests. This name reinforces the mine's violent history of ownership because it literally means, "I took." (Ramirez 2004). "The pun helps to account for the international and national battles in Sulaco, as the utterance of its name is a proprietary and defiant stance toward others." (Ramirez 2004). In fact, before Charles Gould administrates the San Tome, workers had revolted against their "English chiefs" and "murdered them to a man." (Conrad 1993). The decree published in the Diario Oficial of Santa Marta proclaims:

Justly incensed at the grinding oppression of foreigners actuated by sordid motives of gain rather than by love for a country where they come impoverished, to seek their fortunes, the mining population of the San Tome... [has resolved that] the mine, which by every law, international human, and divine, reverts now to the Government as national property, shall remain closed 'til the sword drawn for the sacred defense of liberal principles has accomplished its mission of securing the happiness of our beloved country."(Conrad 1993).

The Goulds have been established in Costaguana for three generations, and accordingly, the wealth that the mine yields becomes a passionate obsession for them. For Charles Gould, in particular, the mine becomes a symbol of power. Firstly, power over the land -- for he owns it physically; and secondly, power over the material wealth that the mine generates. The mine, for Charles, is far more than an aspect of his father's inheritance, but instead, a life calling or a quest to test his own limitations.

As the tale of the mine progresses, the underlying political corruption of Costaguana becomes apparent. Yet, Gould recognizes that to succeed he must implement any "weapons as could be found at once in the mire of corruption." (Conrad 1993). In other words, he feels that the purpose of the mine is so much greater and so far beyond any minor political squabbles that some concessions to injustice and iniquity must be made to secure its success. Again, like a quest, the mine is a justification unto itself.

As the mine grows and becomes more efficient it begins to visibly devour the things surrounding it. The mountain is transfigured through "the clearing of the wilderness, the making of the road, the cutting of new paths up the cliff face of San Tome." (Conrad 1993). All the natural splendor and wildness that had been home to San Tome for ages is wiped away in the name of profit. The only remnant of the ancient space is represented in Mrs. Gould's watercolor painting -- seen through a woman's lens and transposed onto paper.

Contrasting this symbol of progress and profit is the revolutionary climate of Costaguana. Surrounded by unrest and unseen danger, Gould struggles to maintain a constant flow of treasure out of the mountain, and essentially, into his pockets. Yet, as differing as their circumstances may be, no character in Nostromo ever finds themselves completely free of the mine's influence and Gould's quest. "In each of Conrad's fictive characters in Nostromo we see an assailable human being, ultimately unable to change one's fate or that of the universe." (Panichas 2002). Perhaps what is most unique about the characters that Conrad portrays is that their existences appear almost completely free of supernatural significance or moral justification, but instead, they drift about on the seas of social disorder and personal advance, and are in many ways confused. Their loyalties are defined only by their immediate surroundings and positions, and they feign any attempt to appreciate any level of deeper rationalization. This tells us "of the personal costs exacted by anyone's dedication to a purpose beyond the personal, and of how high those costs can be." (Jeffers 2003). Of course, the narrator earlier noted, "A man haunted by a fixed idea is insane. He is dangerous even if that idea is the idea of justice; for may he not bring the heaven down pitilessly upon a beloved head?" (Conrad 1993).

Political instability runs throughout Nostromo. Of the characters, none adhere to any strong moral codes throughout the tale. Even those who at first appear to pride themselves upon their moral fiber, eventually succumb to the immediate temptations of self-gratification.

Accordingly, around Sulaco there are to be seen both revolutionary and counterrevolutionary forces, commanded by arrogant leaders to whom no violence is too great or too small in controlling the silver en route to Holroyd and his business associates who are the 'drawers of water and hewers of wood to all the countries and nations of the earth.'" (Panichas 2002).

In truth, if there is anything that the characters of Nostromo uniformly hold sacred, it is silver. In this way, the silver mine is illustrates as something akin to a temple. The patrons no nothing worthwhile of the world around them other than the organizational structure of the mine and step-by-step rituals of extracting riches from its heart. Essentially, Conrad wishes to provide the reader with a glimpse into a future world where the only true faith is pursuit of power.

A distinctive moral minimalism characterizes human goals in Nostromo": plans for reform collapse, promises dissolve, and loyalties fracture (Panichas 2002). Charles Gould plans for keeping the purity of his mine in tact, in the event of a catastrophe:

At the approach of an armed force he would destroy scientifically the whole plant, buildings, and workshops of the mine with heavy charges of dynamite; block with ruins the main tunnel, break down the pathways, blow up the dam of the water power, shatter the famous Gould Concession with fragments, flying sky high out of a horrified world." (Conrad 1993). Accordingly, the political situation within Sulaco is so unstable that nothing is ever completely safe. Yet in all of this, the mine must be utilized until the last possible moment.

The bars of silver from the San Tome mine have symbolic, as well as material significance. Decoud, for instance, is weighed down by the four ingots and "disappeared without a trace, swallowed up by the immense indifference of things." (Conrad 1993). Nostromo, however, gradually builds upon his wealth by repeatedly returning to retrieve silver on the Great Isabel. Although Nostromo curses the silver of San Tome, he cannot deny its power over the human mind. Even he is stained by its unavoidable corruption and becomes the "victim of the disenchanted vanity which is the reward of audacious action." (Conrad 1993).

There are additional moral conflicts that permeate Nostromo's life. Although he has been betrothed to Linda, he falls in love with Giorgio Viola's younger daughter Giselle. Conrad writes, "She had come upon him unawares. She was a danger. A frightful danger." (Conrad 1993). There are two secrets involved in their relationship: first, the secret they keep from Linda; and second, the secret of the hidden silver. So, on two fronts their love is surrounded by a sense of apprehension and guilt. "His moral condition is now in a climactic state of degeneration, as Nostromo moves irrevocably towards his execution for his moral outrages, in short, for his moral infidelity. Nostromo here exemplifies the man of pride in sight of his fall." (Panichas 2002).

The human circumstances that Conrad portrays lack the unwavering moral compasses of many other tales both past and present. In Nostromo there is no singular hero who embodies everything the author wishes to convey, nor is there a prevalent ethical code that makes itself apparent. Conrad endeavors to reveal that human lives are usually without any clear direction, and often, are filled with deceit and corruption to the very end. "Some of Conrad's critics and readers will no doubt be troubled by the novel's failure to provide any definiteness of hope or to chart a way out of the 'pit of corruption.' (Panichas 2002). Yet this approach is, in many ways more true to reality; and a small portion of reality is what Conrad hopes to capture with Nostromo. The reality that Conrad wished to convey is that human beings have limitations, and these limitations apply even to the morality of their actions.

By contrast to Conrad's other novels, Nostromo possesses numerous and complicated characters. But like his other novels the underlying message is deliberately distorted and muddled through the course of retelling. The fact that no moral theme -- other than corruption -- can be found among the characters suggests that Conrad was attempting to capture a cross section of human existence, and not merely justify a social value. In many ways, Nostromo is an attempt to mirror existence without the rose-colored glasses many choose to look through. Conrad is unforgiving and unapologetic in his forthright depiction of human confusion.

Disharmony is another theme that runs throughout the novel. Largely, this disharmony is caused by the mine, and ultimately, the silver it yields. The scramble for wealth that this creates contrasts the physical nature and beauty of the land. Additionally, the reality of the mine contrasts the perception of it in many of the characters' minds -- particularly the women. Women, in Nostromo, tend to have an impression of Costaguana and Africa that is not altogether a reflection of reality, but rather, a reflection of European values and beliefs. Meanwhile, the actual events surrounding the silver are incongruous with the beautiful watercolor images the women choose to remember. The disorder in Nostromo is more than simply political: it is seen in the characters' physical surroundings, their perceptions, and their inner struggles.