Questions About The Death of Napoleon

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I loved this book but the very last line brought me up short. "And with his arm extended in a broad sweeping gesture, pointing to the day star as it rises, Nigger-Nicholas exults in his innocent triumph." Why does Leys refer to the ship's cook and what does he mean by "his innocent triumph"?

Krysia Rodic My opinion:
Nigger- Nicholas appears to Napoleon to be an ordinary, "boisterous brute," yet his role in 'The Death of Napoleon' may be the most signifi…moreMy opinion:
Nigger- Nicholas appears to Napoleon to be an ordinary, "boisterous brute," yet his role in 'The Death of Napoleon' may be the most significant. Nigger- Nicholas' displays the "glorious dawn" to Napoleon, which allows Napoleon to temporarily "become one with Eugene," which is a great fear of his demonstrated when Napoleon refers to Eugene's existence as "mediocre" and "purely physical." When Napoleon see's the sunrise, the "cloud architecture" reminds him that there is something far greater than himself, something that is out of his control. Constant references toward nature and the external world are repeatedly made throughout the novella to signify that Napoleon does not have control over everything, whether he likes it or not. Nigger- Nicholas' "innocent triumph" constrasts with Napoleon's, whose triumphs and glories are often dealt with through pride and witnessed by the rest of France. This emphasises Nigger- Nicholas' triumph as being "innocent" and modest, privately between himself and Napoleon.(less)

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