The Nature of a Crime · Question
How does The Nature of a Crime develop the theme of Gambling and Risk?
Answer
The Nature of a Crime by Joseph Conrad develops Gambling and Risk across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The narrator describes his financial speculations and even his approach to life as gambling, seeking excitement and distraction from his love, rather than mere material gain.
The narrator's embezzlement and his metaphorical gamble with the mouse's reappearance highlight his risk-taking nature.
The narrator's embezzlement is described as a 'gamble' with the Burden accounts, and he anticipates the 'crumbling' of lives when the truth emerges.
The narrator explicitly distinguishes gambling from speculation, framing it as a way to escape thoughts and engage with caprice. He enters his biggest gamble as a protest against being called a man of action.
Evidence in the book
- I
The narrator's embezzlement and his metaphorical gamble with the mouse's reappearance highlight his risk-taking nature.
- II
The narrator's embezzlement is described as a 'gamble' with the Burden accounts, and he anticipates the 'crumbling' of lives when the truth emerges.
- VI
The narrator explicitly distinguishes gambling from speculation, framing it as a way to escape thoughts and engage with caprice. He enters his biggest gamble as a protest against being called a man of action.
- VIII
The narrator's choice between sober life and wild gambling with Burden's money, leading to death.
