‘Throughout his writing career, Conrad’s obsessions and his treatment of them in his fiction remain remarkably consistent.’ Do you agree?

“Is there not also a central obscurity, something noble, heroic, beautiful, inspiring half-a-dozen great books, but obscure, obscure?…These essays do suggest that he is misty in the middle as well as the edges; that the secret casket of his genius contains a vapour rather than a jewel; and that we needn’t try to write him down philosophically, because there is nothing to write” (Gekoski 3). Certainly, as Forster says, it has been a common description of Conrad that his work is obscure. Forster seems to imply here that Conrad cannot be knowable due to the contradictory nature of his philosophies and that he is “misty in the middle as well as the edges”. Amongst Conrad’s “mist” and ambiguity it may seem difficult to determine the consistency of Conrad’s philosophies throughout his career. This essay seeks to illustrate Conrad’s tendency to concentrate on a cluster of related issues throughout his work and to highlight the pattern of consistency in which he treats them. Three of Conrad’s “obsessions” will be mainly focused upon; isolation, fragility in identity, and fidelity. In order to show a broad time span of Conrad career I will be referring to three of his works: Nigger of the Narcissus, Lord Jim, and The Secret Agent. It is the view of this essay that although Conrad may be obscure in meaning, his treatment of his ‘obsessions’ remain consistent over his career and also, when seen as a whole, fit within each other consistently.

“There is a – let us say – a machine. It evolved itself out of a chaos of scraps of iron and behold! – it knits…It knits us in and it knits us out. It has knitted time, space, pain, death, corruption, despair and all the illusions and nothing matters” (Gekoski 10). This extremely sceptical comment of Conrad’s seems to paint a picture of a hostile world of universal meaningless. It reveals Conrad’s deep scepticism in the world where all components are reduced to parts of a machine. It is a common theme in Conrad’s works and stresses the individual nature of man’s existence and essentially man’s isolation. Many of Conrad’s main characters possess a quality of being separated from the world and society. This can be seen in characters such as Kurtz, Singleton, Verloc, and Jim. While Jim is “one of us” there always seems to be something that sets him apart. Indeed, there are numerous descriptions of Jim standing alone or somehow slightly apart from the world. Marlow describes some of these instances: “He was very far away from me who watched him across three feet of space. With every instant he was penetrating deeper into the impossible world of romantic achievements.” (Conrad 53) and “And there I was with him, high in the sunshine on the top of that historic hill of his…he was like a figure set up on a pedestal”(Conrad 166). Conrad’s notion of isolation is deeper and danker than merely being socially excluded. While Jim is near Marlow physically there is something that separates them. Conrad’s dark picture of London city life in The Secret Agent shows to an even greater extent this isolation. The isolation of Mr. Verloc’s multi-personality occupation and Winnie’s tragic realisation of her husband’s betrayal all serve to enforce this. Unlike the Marlow stories it features a ‘cold’ third person narrative that emphasises the unfriendliness of the city, “[Verloc] leaned his forehead against the cold window-pane – a fragile film of glass stretched between him and the enormity of cold, black, wet, muddy, inhospitable accumulation of bricks, slates, and stones, things in themselves unlovely and unfriendly to man” (Conrad 84). It sounds similar to Marlow’s sepulchral city where people become disconnected objects. One can draw links between this view and the theory of European Existentialism, which stresses the plight of the individual in an unfathomable universe. This link between Conrad and Existentialism has often been drawn and highlights the theme of isolation and scepticism as a Conrad obsession. As Stein comments, we are in the world but not quite of it.

“Ja! Ja! In general, adapting the words of your great poet: That is the question…How to be! Ach! How to be!” (Conrad 133). A major thread in Conrad’s works, and certainly one that gains a position as one of his ‘obsessions’, is the theme of identity. There is much debate over the problem of individual identity and the question of what the real self is, where it is located, and how it is to be understood. Perhaps this can be traced to Conrad’s former exile from his country and the sense of being rootless and without a formal identity. Conrad’s frequent descriptions of spiritual and emotional breakdown in his novels point to the idea that identity is easily collapsible and changeable. This can be seen in the undertone of psychological struggles of the Narcissus crew. In the very male atmosphere that they create for themselves the crew all seem to identify with notions of masculinity and bravery. This pushing away of femininity causes it to leak back in moments of stress. This is characterized by Wait who seems to draw out emotion which is seen as corrupting and dangerous. Wait’s rescue seems to be compared to giving birth the way he is pulled out of the hole and there is much groaning, hooting, sobbing, and female hysteria amongst the crew, “Jimmy kept up a distracting row; he screamed piercingly, without drawing a breath, like a tortured woman; he banged with hands and feet” (Conrad p.63). The crews’ notions of their masculine identity break down and they express their unease with Wait for this, “In our disturbed state we were absolutely paralysed by his incredible action…even Archie at last lost his composure” (Conrad p.65). Conrad contrasts this behaviour with their earlier masculinity to show the ease of break down and even suggests that this former stableness may even be illusion. In addition to fragility, identity in Conrad’s works is also ambiguous for other characters to determine. Jim is Conrad’s charactoral epitome of this situation. To begin with the structure of the novel provides a fragmented, multi-faceted viewpoint of Jim. The reader can only construct a half-picture of Jim comprised of many characters’ viewpoints. Even his name stresses the ambiguity of his identity, as his surname is never revealed, “The Malays of the jungle village…added a word to the monosyllable of his incognito. They called him Tuan Jim: as one might say Lord Jim” (Conrad 4). Throughout the book Jim’s identity is under constant question and debate by the people he encounters, Marlow and even Jim himself. Marlow confesses that Jim “shall always remain for them an insoluble mystery” (Conrad 191) and Stein’s indecisive statement that “he is romantic…but is he?” (Conrad 135). This quest to find Jim as gold or alloy is best shown in the many descriptions Marlow not quite being able to see Jim properly, “He was white from head to foot and…the opportunity by his side – still veiled. What do you say? Was it still veiled? I don’t know. For me that white figure in the stillness of coast and sea seemed to stand at the heart of a vast enigma” (Conrad 210). To go back to the original question that Conrad seems concerned with: what is the real self and where is identity located? Since identity is not something which can be seen and is often ambiguous Conrad sees that “the real is to be found not in the sphere of the inner and the private, but in that of the outer and the public” (Berthoud 187). Essentially, it based on one’s actions rather than one’s thoughts. In Lord Jim, individual regret, no matter how sincere, cannot justify the verdict of facts. This explains Jim’s constant struggle with his identity because his thoughts can’t erase his actions. In Nigger of the Narcissus no matter how hardy and masculine the crew try to sound to each other, their true colours or female sides seem to leak out in moments of stress which greatly disturb their conscience. Thus it can be seen that identity is a much visited theme in Conrad’s’ works and one which, although seemingly ambiguous, approaches with the same treatment throughout.

“The temporal world rests on a few very simple ideas; so simple that they must be old as the hills. It rests, notably, among other, on the idea of Fidelity” (Gekoski 15). Fidelity, for Conrad, is a saving grace amongst the isolation and meaningless of human existence. There has been much criticism of this obsession in being too simplistic a term to use and that such “naïve moralizing is irrelevant.” He has discussed it widely in his letters and writings but it’s true nature reveals itself within his novels. It is important to place this notion within the context of Conrad’s view of isolation within the world’s ‘machine’. Fidelity will not bring about salvation; rather it is a saving grace against an ultimately incurable disease. Here we can see the way Conrad’s obsessions are interdependent of each other, often mistaken to be his ambiguity. Two instances of fidelity are seen in Conrad’s work: social responsibility and individual responsibility and fidelity to oneself. In terms of social responsibility Gekoski, in his examination of Conrad’s moral philosophies, defines this as “fidelity to one’s fellows, a stern code of conduct, stoical acceptance of life’s hardships, and avoidance of introspection” (Gekoski 20). Throughout his novels sailing and the code of conduct at sea act as ‘saving graces’ for characters. In Nigger of the Narcissus Singleton represents these values of duty, courage, civility, order, and the code and ethics of the British merchant navy.

Swaying upon the din and tumult of the seas, with the whole battered length of the ship launched forward in a rolling rush before his steady old eyes, he stood rigidly still, forgotten by all, and with an attentive face. In front of his erect figure only the two arms moved crosswise with a swiftly and sudden readiness, to check or urge again the rapid stir of circling spokes. He steered with care. (Conrad 80)

For Conrad steering is a metaphor for leading a life of integrity. In the midst of the chaos of the hysterical crew and turmoil of the storm Singleton holds things together by being orderly, sticking to his duty, and showing courage in the face of danger. He is the invisible glue that holds the crew together and illustrates the virtues of fidelity. Conrad also shows the effects of challenging these values. In Lord Jim, Marlow describes an episode involving the brave and honourable Captain Brierly. As one of the officials in Jim’s inquiry, Brierly is described as a true sailor and the epitome of the ‘right stuff’. However, this soon unravels as he becomes quite upset about Jim’s case. As Marlow describes, “…his self-satisfaction presented to me and to the world a surface as hard as granite. He committed suicide very soon after” (Conrad 37). One gets through life by being faithful to duty and courage. This shows that when this is broken, by Jim’s leap, Conrad’s characters begin to break down even in the most steadfast of individuals like Brierly. However, as stated earlier, these value systems are ultimately futile in the face of a hostile and unrelenting universe. This introduces Conrad’s ‘simple hero’ who avoids despair by failing to recognise this hostile world. Singleton represents such a character and is representative of an older generation and tradition. He is “simple and great like an elemental force”. He subscribes to all the values that Conrad so admires. He approaches the harshness of duty with bravery and courage, does not question discipline, and approaches problems with civility. His ignorance to the petty troubles of the crew and his general seclusion and silence are the embodiment of Conrad’s notion of fidelity and the sailors seem to trust, admire and respect him. As Conrad states it are these “simple” ideas that the world rests upon. Through these examples it can be seen that this a view to which Conrad consistently subscribes.

The unravelling of Conrad’s ‘mist’ reveals some strong threads which are revisited throughout his career. Certainly Conrad is one to focus on a cluster of related issues rather than a wide variety. The treatment of these obsessions shows a pattern of consistency. Conrad’s deep scepticism of the world as a machine reveals the reappearing theme of psychological isolation and disconnectedness with others and society. Fragility in identity and the view that true identity can only reveal itself in one’s actions is another reoccurring theme. Finally, the social and individual aspects to the simplicity of fidelity and it’s values of honour, courage, duty, and civility. To re-state: although Conrad may be obscure in meaning, his treatment of his ‘obsessions’ remain consistent over his career and also, when seen as a whole, fit within each other consistently. The accusation of Conrad’s obscurity is therefore true, and it is this interplay within his obsessions that provoke thought and often confusion. “The best of Conrad’s fiction holds the balance between the facts of existence (autonomy and isolation) and the necessities of existence (social responsibilities), and keeps them in greatest tension” (Gekoski 21)

Approx. words: 2,200

Sources

• Conrad, J. (1963), The Nigger of the ‘Narcissus’/Typhoon and Other Stories, Penguin: Harmondsworth • Conrad, J. (1993), Lord Jim, Wordsworth: Hertfordshire • Conrad, J. (2002), The Secret Agent, Penguin: London • Gekoski, R.A. (1987) Conrad: The moral world of the novelist, Elek Books: London • Berthoud, J. (1987) Joseph Conrad: The Major Phase, Cambridge University Press: London