The End of the Tether · Theme
Class and Colonial Hierarchy
How The End of the Tether develops Class and Colonial Hierarchy.
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.
Where it surfaces
- 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.