Joseph Conrad’s "The Lagoon" Relates Arsat’s Exile and Loneliness

Solitude in Joseph Conrad’s "The Lagoon" : Arsat's Exile and Loneliness Explored

Exploring Exile and Loneliness in 'The Lagoon'

Joseph Conrad 

Joseph Conrad holds a particular attraction for present-day readers for his extensive biographical and critical attention. In his works elements of fatalism and nihilism well establishes to postmodern literature and modern life. Citing that precept, here too, Joseph reworked his memories of his Malay trip into his  story "The Lagoon," a highly symbolic work that explores the central character, Arsat’s living, learning, and realizing through the central metaphor of a journey to the stagnant lagoon. It is a poignant tale that explores the themes of exile and loneliness through the character of Arsat. Set in the remote and desolate surroundings of a lagoon in the Malay archipelago, the story delves into the emotional turmoil experienced by Arsat, highlighting the profound effects of his isolation.

Arsat's Desperation and the Human Condition

Conrad, who himself experienced exile and loneliness as a child, wrote numerous stories about isolated characters. In Fact, "The Lagoon" is the story about   a white man travelling through an Indonesian rain-forest and his chance meeting with his Malay friend, Arsat. The whiteman upon arriving Arsat’s cottage,   finds Arsat distraught, for his lover is dying. Arsat tells the distant and rather silent white man a story of his past. Arsat’s exile and loneliness is told through the words of passion, guilt and remorse. With the elements of realism, adventure, and romanticism it states broadly the human passion and the abyss, solitude, futility and the world of illusions.

Love, Guilt, and Illusion: Arsat's Tragic Journey in "The Lagoon"

The much-heralded Arsat is the object of the author's (Here the White Man) speculations, aspirations, and anticipations as he stays up to the cottage of Arsat. Just like the waves of the lagoon, which has been estranged from the sea, time has got locked up in the guilt-shame cycle and has stopped running for Arsat. The tale of Arsat’s elopement with Diamelen by the assistance of his brother is a pure romance rarely paralleled in real life. Through a driving zeal of love, Arsat and his brother had braved the mighty Inchi Midah’s fury. They escaped denying the ruler’s sword at night. Although Arsat and his beloved escaped, Arsat’s brother died en route courageous battle. Arsat has narrated the story of how he prioritized his love over responding to his brothers cries for help. And even though he thought that running away would give him everlasting love, it hasn’t. The remorse and guilt of not helping his brother has never left Arsat. Arsat, the protagonist oscillates and vacillates of two extreme ends of love- love to brother and love to his beloved. He has forsaken the call of brother’s last lamentable cry to quench the thrust of love in Diamelen. In the conclusion, however, when she breathes her last, he finds himself in a hoax situation of disillusionment.

The Illusion of Love and the Haunting Guilt: Arsat's Quest for Peace and the Darkness of Despair

Perhaps he looks towards Diamelen’s death as a kind of way of release from the cycle; for, with her death he loses the thing, for which he had betrayed his brother, and feels punished.  Man does not contemplate the mortality of life when blinded by youth and courage.   Arsat too has been veiled by the illusion that love is worth fighting and sacrificing for. Arsat, like all men, clung to the illusion of Utopia and “a country where death is forgotten—where death is unknown”   with Diamelen, and later finds that the guilt of his betrayal both to his Rajah and his brother would hang over him like the darkness of the night. In an insight into the heart of man, Arsat thus begs peace of mind: “In the searching clearness of crude sunshine he was still standing before the house, he was still looking through the great light of a cloudless day into the hopeless darkness of the world.” Even though the scene at the end of the short story is of bright morning without any cloud in the sky, the world looks dark for Arsat as he sees no hope and no happiness.

Journey into the Depths: Arsat's Exile and the Turmoil of the Heart

Joseph Conrad's "The Lagoon" is a tale of voyage to the heart. The voyage to Lagoon becomes a descent into an underworld of heart, in which Arsat is both captive and creator, and from which he barely escapes Arsat’s stagnation and his troublous emotions --his maze of illusions find some light at last. Arsat philosophizes a change and realization. It is his insight knowledge of life and death.

Thus, Arsat's exile is not merely physical but also psychological. Having fled his homeland and sought refuge in the lagoon, he finds himself separated from his community, his loved ones, and the familiar customs that shaped his identity. This physical and cultural displacement intensifies his sense of loneliness, leaving him adrift in an unfamiliar world.

As Arsat reminisces about his past, it becomes evident that his exile is self-imposed. Driven by love and a desire to protect his beloved Diamelen, he makes the agonizing decision to abandon his people and seek refuge in the lagoon. However, this act of sacrifice ultimately isolates him, trapping him in a state of perpetual longing and regret. The lagoon itself serves as a metaphorical representation of Arsat's emotional isolation. Surrounded by vast expanses of water and cut off from the rest of society, Arsat finds himself confined to a small boat, symbolizing his seclusion from the outside world. The lagoon's serene yet oppressive atmosphere mirrors Arsat's inner turmoil, amplifying his feelings of loneliness and estrangement.

Conclusion

Conrad skillfully conveys Arsat's emotional state through vivid descriptions and introspective passages. Arsat's introspection reveals the depth of his solitude and his longing for companionship. He yearns for understanding and connection, expressing his desire for someone to listen to his story, to share his burden of exile.

Ultimately, "The Lagoon" portrays Arsat as a tragic figure caught between the conflicting forces of love, duty, and exile. Conrad's masterful exploration of his character's inner world illuminates the profound impact of isolation and loneliness on the human psyche, leaving the reader with a sense of empathy and reflection on the complexities of human existence.

 The hollow conventions through which people seek to mold the universe to their own specifications of emotions are realized by Arsat. He is out of maze. Morning light begins to drive out the darkness of the forest. An eagle soars heavenward. He is no more in opacity. Being an eagle, he soars high into the heavenly realization of relations and relativity.

Ardhendu De

Selected short stories : Conrad, Joseph, 1857-1924 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/selectedshortsto0000conr