Nostromo in The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910

Jun 18, 2018 Ensiform rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

In the fictional port city of Sulaco, Costaguana (a banana republic marked by revolution and tyranny), warfare reigns. As one dictator overthrows another, Western nabobs try to cultivate relations with the current jefe Ribiera in order to maintain control of the rich silver mine concession owned by Costaguana-born British mogul Charles Gould. But as the infighting continues and another ill-educated, self-proclaimed warlord approaches, Gould orders his head man, the titular Italian Nostromo, to t In the fictional port city of Sulaco, Costaguana (a banana republic marked by revolution and tyranny), warfare reigns. As one dictator overthrows another, Western nabobs try to cultivate relations with the current jefe Ribiera in order to maintain control of the rich silver mine concession owned by Costaguana-born British mogul Charles Gould. But as the infighting continues and another ill-educated, self-proclaimed warlord approaches, Gould orders his head man, the titular Italian Nostromo, to take it offshore for safety. Nostromo, whose name is a corruption of Italian for “our man,” is a brave and fearsome man, considered by the Europeans to be unimpeachably loyal. There is an accident at sea, and the silver is considered to be lost at the bottom of the bay, but actually Nostromo hides it on one of the big deserted islands there. He swims back to the mainland and accomplishes hair-raising feats of bravery and rescue; feeling used by the colonials and resenting his second-class status, he keeps the secret of the silver to himself. Once a lighthouse is built on the island, Nostromo’s chances of ever acquiring the hidden hoard are apparently dashed.

From the start, this book is hard to jump right into, written as it is with the narrative point of view switching between characters and even locations without warning. Then there’s the action as metaphor; not a simple tale of historical fiction or sea adventure, it’s a discourse on wealth, power, class, race, and colonial privilege. The book begins with a sort of ghost story about the mine, making it clear that love for silver will not end well for those obsessed with ill-gotten wealth. This isn’t a morality tale so much as a recitation of how the love of money causes man’s inhumanity to man, all told in a cynical, detached, almost darkly amused tone. Men are worked to death, men are tortured and killed to find the silver, a journalist goes mad when left on the island with the treasure and kills himself with it, Nostromo breaks women’s hearts for it. Conrad makes sure that everyone, native or colonial, is tarred with the same primitive, savage brush. Is “enjoy” the proper term for experiencing this book? I’m not sure, but I admire it. ...more

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Apr 16, 2018 Lost Owl rated it really liked it

Shelves: top-100

It takes a while to get settled in and decide what it's going to be.
After finishing, it's still a little
difficult to say what Nostromo is about. I expected more of a focus on Nostromo, but never got a clear idea of what made him so extraordinary. ...more

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