The End of the Tether · Question
How does The End of the Tether develop the theme of Class and Colonial Hierarchy?
Answer
The End of the Tether by Joseph Conrad develops Class and Colonial Hierarchy across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The story highlights rigid social and racial hierarchies, from the white officers' condescension toward Malay crew like the Serang, to Whalley's aristocratic disdain for the idea of his daughter becoming a landlady, and the power dynamics between shipowner Massy and his employees.
Captain Eliott's disdain for Massy as a 'white man' only skin-deep and his discussion of sending a lord to govern reflect colonial class distinctions.
The division between white officers (Massy, Whalley, Sterne) and native crew (Serang, lascars) is stark, with Massy viewing the latter as mere tools.
Sterne's scorn for the Serang and his view of white men's dependence on natives highlight racial and colonial tensions.
Evidence in the book
- V
Captain Eliott's disdain for Massy as a 'white man' only skin-deep and his discussion of sending a lord to govern reflect colonial class distinctions.
- VII
The division between white officers (Massy, Whalley, Sterne) and native crew (Serang, lascars) is stark, with Massy viewing the latter as mere tools.
- Chapter X
Sterne's scorn for the Serang and his view of white men's dependence on natives highlight racial and colonial tensions.
- XI
Massy's resentment of the 'sailor frauds' on the bridge and his disdain for the native crew illustrate class and racial tensions aboard the Sofala.
- XIV
The lawyer and bank manager discuss Whalley's death with detached professionalism, while Massy's greed and desperation highlight the economic pressures of colonial capitalism.
