Question+8

The helmsman is a minor character who helps the reader see some of the subtlety in Marlow's character. marlow often starts with a description that seems objective although often negative, but then comes to find a common human bond with the person he is describing. How does this work with the helmsman? How is he first described and how does the reader first realize Marlow's feeling of compassion for him?

It works the same way with the helmsman because Marlow at first does not like the helmsman because he says that he acts as if he was very important, but then he acts passivly as if he would normally. The helmsman is described as lacking restraint which Marlow values heavily which is another reason why he is not a fan of him. When the helmsman dies, he dies standing beside Marlow; the spear could have hit Marlow instead. He has realized that he has bonded with the helmsman and their bond was very important because they both like to work hard. Marlow values that in the helmsman and he mourns the death of his friend. The reader realizes this when he compares and values him more than Kurtz. For example he says on page 50, "I am not prepared to affirm the fellow [meaning Kurtz] was exactly worth the life we lost [meaning the helmsman] in getting to him [Kurtz]." The reader realizes this bond and how it has grown; but also when he throws the dead body of the helmsman over board, they see that he really cared. It is shown because the cannibals were asking if they could have his body to eat because he was dead, but Marlow just wanted to save his friend's body, even though he was dead. Marlow said that he did not like him in the beginning, but as usual, he finds a common bond with him and he actually does realizing that he did like him in the end. -HM

While the helmsman is still alive, Marlow only finds him to be a nuisance and a simple savage. He complains that the man can steer "but if he lost sight of you, he became instantly the prey of an abject funk, and would let that cripple of a steamboat get the upper hand of him in a minute" (Conrad 116). These issues lead to a strain in the relationship between the two men as Marlow is continuously telling the man to calm down while they are under an attack from a local tribe. Allthough he comes across as disliking the man, a compassion can be seen through his appreciation for the man's ability to steer the ship. Along with this, the European quickly tells the helmsman "to come back" (Conrad 117) from the open window for fear of the flying arrows and spears. This command displays how, even though he is irritated by the primitive ways of the native, he still cares for the man's life. However, these feelings are not dwelled on long for the helmsman soon takes a spear to the chest and is laying on the floor, bleeding to death. Once Marlow realized that he had lost his partner he feels strong remorse and sadness. Although the two did not have a strong relationship, "he had done something, he had steered; for months [Marlow] had him at his back -- a help -- an instrument. It was a kind of partnership. He steered for [the captain] -- [Marlow] had to look after him, [had] worried about his deficiencies, and thus a subtle bond had been created, of which [he] only became aware when it was suddenly broken" (Conrad 124). This loss displays how the main character, even after constant complaining and negative remarks, feels a common human bond with others. -SB

In the section dealing with the helmsman, Marlow's natural prejudices against the natives become weakened midst his realization that they and he, together as humans, share a natural and incomparable bond. At first, it is clear that he views the negro with great distaste: "That fool-helmsman, his hands on the spokes, was lifting his knees high, stamping his feet, champing his mouth, like a reined-in horse. Confound him!" (116). Furthermore, after shouting an order that the "horse" neglected, Marlow displays more of his objective opinions by admitting, "I might just as well have ordered a tree not to sway in the wind" (117). The fatal wound that befalls upon the helmsman proves to the narrator that he is more than a "horse" or a "tree." Upon seeing the native close to death with a spear in his chest, the European "had to make an effort to free...[his] eyes from him" (118) to keep the boat from running aground. This is the first sign of a connection between the two. In the end, to portray his compassion for the dead man, Marlow concludes, "...the infinite profundity of that look he gave me when he received his hurt remains to this day in my memory--like a claim of distant kinship affirmed in a supreme moment" (124). **~JKru**