My thoughts on 'An Outcast of the Islands'

[Ordos]

I'm re-reading Joesph Conrad's second book called 'An Outcast of the Islands'

Much can and has been said about this book. However I just want to focus on my thoughts on the book.

The story takes place in 1872 in what is now Indonesia. So a novel taking place in my country grabs my attention. I love Conrad's writing style despite some grammatical errors (my copy is in the writing of the first edition). I like how he writes in long sentences describing the environment and what is going on in the characters' minds and has only minimal description of the appearance of characters. For example: when the protagonist Willems first sees the woman he lusts for Aissa, there was a description on the environment around the woman that put emphasis on her beauty. The light of sun, the hot wind etc.

However the story itself seems to have little point. I do like the setting and I enjoy reading about the political intrigue, but the story ultimately came to nothing in the end.

A very short summary of the story:

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Willems is a clerk for a trading company in Makassar on the island of Celebes. He is caught stealing money, but his friend and old boss a sea captain named Lingard takes pity on him and rescues him from the scandal by taking him to a remote trading outpost in Borneo called Sambir. There he is told to wait until further notice. Lingard shows him how to navigate his ship into the narrow passage of the river and enter the settlement. The safe route through the river is Lingard's secret which gives him a trade monopoly in the area.

During his stay at the remote outpost Willems develops an immense hatred of the only other white man in the settlement Almayer who is Lingard's colleague and lusts for a local woman named Aissa. Unfortunately Aissa is part of a conspiracy by the local king's enemies to overthrow him by bringing in a powerful Arab merchant into the area and breaking Lingard's trade monopoly. In order to do that the Arab merchant Abdulla must safely navigate his ship into the river. Aissa avoids Willems until he agrees to betray Lingard and show the Arab trader how to safely navigate the ship into the river and into Sambir. A combination of boredom, lust and rivalry with Almayer compels Willems to do it.

Lingard returns months later to see what Willems has done. The local king has abdicated and has been replaced by the leader of the conspiracy to overthrow him. Willems meanwhile is now living at a romote house at the outskirts of Sambir with Aissa. Now that he has satisfied his lust, he begs Lingard to take him away from 'barbarism'. Lingard who is obviously furious at what Willems has done abandons him.

Lingard earlier had brought Willems estranged wife with him to Sambir who wants to reconcile with him. When Joanna (his wife) seeks out Willems and finds him, Aissa is furious that Willems has a wife that he never told her about and shoots him.

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So in the end what's the point? I don't mind sad endings and immoral protagonists, but ultimately the ending led to nothing in character development and conflict resolution. Willems learned nothing from his mistakes and allowed himself to be manipulated by political schemers who won and took away Lingard's trade monopoly.

The ONLY thing I learned is that you ultimately pay the price for your actions. But nobody in the end ends up better off. Lingard brought prosperity to Sambir and is generally well meaning. His hard earned wealth is snatched away thanks to a backstabbing fool he tried to rescue from scandal and prosecution. And Willems ends up dead.

So while the book is overall a very enjoyable read, the plot ultimately came to nothing.

Edit: When you read the description of Willems' feelings towards Aissa, it can be mistaken for love. Ultimately it was just lust which is deeply disappointing.

[Ordos]

More thoughts:

When Willems was first caught stealing money from his company, this was how the story begins so I thought 'let's see where this goes'. Then he betrays his benefactor for a woman. He does not tell this woman the whole truth of his past. At several points in this story the protagonist could have turned back before it was too late. But his ego and lust digs the hole he is in deeper and deeper.

Also, he did it all for Aissa and then gets bored of her. If a woman is worth stabbing your benefactor in the back in such a spectacular way, I would think it is worth being stranded on a desert island with her while she gives herself entirely to you.

[Ordos]

About Willems' rivalry with Almayer:

When I read about Willems' hatred for Almayer, I failed to understand where that hatred came from. I could only guess that since they both work for Lingard, they are both trying to gain his favor. Also when I read about Willems' racism towards Malays, I also deduced that since Almayer is the only other white man in the area, he feels as if he is in competition with him over who is king of the Malays in the village so to speak as there was actually a native King who is protected by Lingard.

When Willems guides the Arab's flagship into the village, he has a mob from the village raid Almayer's house as he restrains and humiliates Almayer.

Anyway, my question to the protagonist here is: Why make an enemy when you have no friends and you are on the run from scandal?

[Ordos]

Willems seams not to fear death, but a long lonely life. I think his sense of loneliness comes from his sense of superiority over everyone else and hence he has nobody 'intelligent and powerful' to relate with.