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JakobLothe
Withaviewtothenarrative’sgradualformationofthereader’sresponse,itis
significantthatthenovella’sendingbothresemblesanddiffersfromitsbeginning.
Onesignificantpointofresemblanceconcernstheword“offing,”definedbythe
OxfordEnglishDictionaryas“Thepartoftheseaatadistancefromtheshorebeyond
anchorage.”TheOEDactuallycitesthisparticularsentence,thatisasentencefrom
theconcludingparagraphofafictionaltext,asanillustrativeexampleofnauticaluse
oftheword“offing.”Thisisdoubtlesscorrect,yetIwouldsuggestthat–partlybe-
causeofitspositioningintheparagraph,partlybecauseofthewayinwhichitis
linkedtotheverb“lead”–theword’sfiguralmeaningisalsoactivated–notatthe
expenseof,butasanadditionto,thenauticalmeaning.Figuratively,“intheoffing”
means“nearby,athand,imminent,likelytohappeninthenearfuture.”Thusthespa-
tialdimensionofthenautical“offing”issemanticallyandthematicallyenrichedby
thetemporalfacetofitsfiguralmeaning.Whatis“intheoffing”is“animmensedark-
ness”absorbingnotonlyMarlow,thenarratorandhisnarrateesbutalso,Iwould
suggest,thereader.ThestoryhasbecomethedarknesswhichMarlowisunableto
imparttoKurtz’sIntended,butwhichhehasnowmanagedtotellhisnarrateesand
theauthorialaudience.
AtthispointLondonhasbecomepartofthedarkness,andeventheDirector,per-
hapsthemostscepticalofMarlow’snarratees,hasbecomeabsorbedinthetaletothe
extentoflosinghissenseoftime.IagreewithAchebethatthemeaningof“dark-
ness,”whichendsthenarrativebyrepeatingthekeywordofitstitle,isessentially
negative.AndyetthethrustofMarlow’snarrative,influencingandeventuallyinclud-
inghisnarratees’response,istolinkdarknesstowhitemen’sviolentactions,andto
theirsystematicandrepeatedlieseventotheirmostardentsupporters.
InthelastpartofthisessayIwantstrengthenmyargumentbyidentifyingand
brieflydiscussingtheinterpretativelyformativeconnectionbetweennarrators,nar-
ratees,andauthorialaudiencesinthetwomajornovelswhichConradproducedjust
afterhavingwrittenHeartofDarkness,LordJimandNostromo.AsConrad’spresen-
tationofnarrativeisatitsmostsophisticatedhere,Ifocusontwoparticularlyinter-
estingpassagesineachnovel.ThefirstonefromLordJimreadsthus:
Andlateron,manytimes,indistantpartsoftheworld,Marlowshowedhimselfwillingto
rememberJim,torememberhimatlength,indetailandaudibly.
Perhapsitwouldbeafterdinner,onaverandahdrapedinmotionlessfoliageandcrowned
withflowers,inthedeepduskspeckledbyfierycigar-ends.Theelongatedbulkofeachcane-
chairharbouredasilentlistener.Nowandthenasmallredglowwouldmoveabruptly,and
expandinglightupthefingersofalanguidhand,partofafaceinprofoundrepose,orflash
acrimsongleamintoapairofpensiveeyesovershadowedbyafragmentofanunruffledfore-
head:andwiththeveryfirstwordutteredMarlow’sbody,extendedatrestintheseat,would
becomeverystill,asthoughhisspirithadwingeditswayintowaybackintothelapseoftime
andwerespeakingthroughhislipsfromthepast.(24)
AsinHeartofDarkness,Marlowhereseemseffortlesslytoassumetheroleofthe
traditionalstoryteller,impartingthestoryofJimtohisaudienceontheverandah.
