Question

Nigger of the Narcissus

Accepted Answer

Nigger of the 'Narcissus': A Tale of the Forecastle (also subtitled A Tale of the Sea and published in the United States as The Children of the Sea) is an 1897 novella by Joseph Conrad. Because of its quality compared to earlier works, some critics have described it as marking the start of Conrad's major or middle period; others have placed it as the best work of his early period.

Quick facts: Author, Country …

First US edition
(publ. Dodd, Mead and Company)
Preface
Conrad's preface to the novel, regarded as a manifesto of literary impressionism, is considered one of his most significant pieces of non-fiction writing. It begins with the line: "A work that aspires, however humbly, to the condition of art should carry its justification in every line".

Plot
The title character, James Wait, is a dying West Indian black sailor on board the merchant ship Narcissus, on which he finds passage from Bombay to London. Suffering from tuberculosis, Wait becomes seriously ill almost from the outset, eliciting suspicion from much of the crew, though his ostensible plight arouses the humanitarian sympathies of many. The ship's master, Captain Allistoun, and an old sailor named Singleton remain concerned primarily with their duties and appear indifferent to Wait's condition. Rounding the Cape of Good Hope, the ship capsizes onto her beam-ends during a sudden gale and half her hull is submerged, with many of the crew's rations and personal belongings lost; the men cling onto the deck for an entire night and day, waiting in silence for the ship to turn over the rest of the way and sink. Allistoun refuses to allow the masts to be severed, which might allow the hull to right itself but would prevent the ship from making use of her sails. Five of the men, realizing that Wait is unaccounted for, climb down to his cabin and rescue him at their own peril. When the storm passes and a wind returns, Allistoun directs the weary men to catch the wind, which succeeds in righting the ship.

The voyage resumes but eventually drifts into the doldrums, where the head winds diminish and the ship is becalmed for many days. Rations grow even scarcer and the men become anxious to return home. Wait eventually confesses to a lazy and slippery Cockney named Donkin that he is not as sick as he first claimed: that he is feigning illness to avoid having to participate in the laborious work required of every healthy seaman. Many others had already grown suspicious of him, and Captain Allistoun reveals Wait's charade before the entire crew. Wait claims he feels well enough now to work, but the captain orders that he be confined to the forecastle for the remainder of the voyage, a decision which quickly polarizes much of the crew between Wait's supporters and detractors. Allistoun prevents a near-mutiny encouraged by the conniving Donkin. Forced to stay abed, Wait grows increasingly frail as his condition deteriorates. The ship continues to drift without a breeze and some of the crew, including Singleton, begin to whisper that Wait himself is responsible, and that only his death will bring favorable winds.

Ship Wait Allistoun Work Captain Wait's Men Nigger