Nostromo Summary

Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard is a novel by Joseph Conrad, first published in 1904. It takes place in the fictional South American country of "Costaguana." The book was originally released in parts, appearing in monthly issues of T.P.'s Weekly.

In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Nostromo as the 47th best English-language novel of the 20th century. Many consider it one of Conrad’s greatest works. The famous writer F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, "I'd rather have written Nostromo than any other novel."

Summary

In the fictional South American country of Costaguana, a dictator named Don Vincente Ribiera rules the land. He is seen as an "enlightened despot," meaning he tries to lead with wisdom but still holds absolute power. In the province of Sulaco, there is a silver mine that is very important to the country’s economy. This mine is owned by Charles Gould, a determined businessman. His wife, Emilia, has won the hearts of the people with her kindness and charm. She is not involved in politics like the dictator’s wife might be, but she has a strong influence on those around her.

The country is in chaos, with different groups fighting to overthrow Ribiera. His power depends largely on the wealth coming from Gould’s silver mine. When Ribiera is finally forced to flee, the rebels turn their attention to the silver. Gould realizes that if the silver falls into the wrong hands, it could lead to disaster. He turns to one of the most trusted and respected men in Sulaco—Giovanni Battista Fidanza. Despite his Italian background, Fidanza has made a home in this South American land. Everyone knows him by his nickname: "Nostromo," which means “our man.” Nostromo is famous for his honesty and loyalty.

Gould and Nostromo decide that the only way to keep the silver safe is to move it. They bring in Martín Découd, a journalist and skeptic who is also in love with a woman named Antonia Avellanos. Nostromo and Découd set sail with the silver, hoping to transfer it to a European ship. However, during their journey, they run into an enemy boat, making their plan much more dangerous.

With no other choice, they sail to a small island off the coast and bury the silver there. Nostromo leaves Découd behind to guard it while he returns to Sulaco to update Gould. But being alone on the island drives Découd to madness. In his despair, he decides to end his life by sinking himself into the water, weighted down by four silver bars.

Back in Sulaco, Nostromo is deeply shaken. A woman had offered him a chance to confess his sins to a priest before she died, but he refused. Now, he believes her death was a bad omen, warning him of his own fate. When he finds out that people assume the silver was lost at sea, he chooses to keep the truth a secret. He decides he will take the silver little by little for himself.

Over time, the country of Costaguana stabilizes. Nostromo becomes rich and powerful. The island where the silver is buried is now home to a lighthouse, and his old friend Viola is appointed as its keeper. This gives Nostromo the perfect opportunity to take the silver whenever he wants. Everything seems to be going well. However, one issue troubles him—he is engaged to Viola’s older daughter, Linda, but he has fallen in love with her younger sister, Giselle.

In the end, tragedy strikes. Viola mistakes Nostromo for an intruder and accidentally shoots him. As he lies dying, he asks for Emilia Gould, hoping for redemption. He tries to confess everything about the hidden silver, but Emilia stops him. She is the only person in the story who remains truly uncorrupted. She insists that the silver should remain lost forever, ensuring that no one else is tempted by its power.

Character Analysis

Nostromo (Gian’ Battista Fidanza)

Nostromo, an Italian by birth, is a man whose reputation for incorruptibility sets him apart in the politically unstable nation of Costaguana. As a captain overseeing dock workers, he earns the trust of both the working class and the elite. However, his defining moment comes when he is tasked with safeguarding a shipment of silver from the Goulds’ mine.

A sequence of tragic events results in the treasure being hidden on an island, known only to him and Martin Decoud, who later succumbs to madness and suicide. This leaves Nostromo with an ethical dilemma: should he confess to the missing ingots or exploit the situation for his own gain? Over time, he grows disillusioned with the corrupt politics of Costaguana, and his once-pristine moral standing begins to deteriorate. His downfall is a reflection of the larger themes of the novel—greed, power, and the corrupting influence of wealth.

Charles and Emilia Gould

Charles Gould, the Englishman who inherits the rights to the silver mine, begins as an idealist, believing he can use wealth to stabilize Costaguana. However, his passion for the mine transforms into an obsession. The silver consumes him, eroding his humanity until he becomes emotionally detached, prioritizing profit over people. He is, in effect, a prisoner of the mine, his life dictated by its demands.

Emilia Gould, in contrast, retains her idealism. She envisions reversing colonial exploitation and bringing justice to the people. However, her dreams are ultimately futile, as she watches her husband become consumed by greed. Though she does not fall into materialism, she too suffers a form of imprisonment—trapped in a marriage to a man whose love for silver has replaced his love for humanity.

Martin Decoud

A French intellectual and political journalist, Martin Decoud represents the power of ideas in contrast to Nostromo’s action-oriented nature. Initially a voice of reason and resistance against the despotism of Costaguana, he is forced to flee after his writings put him in danger. His role in the silver’s transport leads him to a tragic fate.

Left isolated on the deserted island, Decoud succumbs not to external threats but to the demons within his own mind. The loss of his beloved fiancée, Antonia, combined with his growing despair, leads him into a spiral of madness. Ultimately, he drowns himself with four silver ingots—the very same bars that later tempt Nostromo. His fate underscores the novel’s broader themes of alienation and the futility of idealism in a world dictated by greed and power.

Themes Analysis

Power
At the heart of Nostromo lies a struggle for power. Who holds it? Who craves it? How far will people go to keep it—or steal it? In the fictional country of Costaguana, power is a tangled mess of shifting loyalties. Foreign invaders fight for control, treating the native people as if they don’t belong in their own land. Wealth changes everything. Greed fuels ambition, and those who discover riches must decide not just how to protect them, but who gets to benefit from them.

Corruption
From the very first pages, Nostromo is hailed as a man beyond corruption—loyal, dependable, one in a thousand. Yet, as the story unfolds, another version of Nostromo emerges: a selfish, cowardly traitor. Which one is the real Nostromo? The novel constantly shifts between these two images, forcing us to question whether anyone can truly remain uncorrupted when wealth and power are at stake.

Lies
No simple story here. Conrad weaves a complex tale where truth is slippery. The novel jumps through time, mixing past and present, making the reader piece together what really happened. There are two versions of Nostromo: the legend everyone believes, and the hidden truth buried beneath the myths. But which one is real? Conrad’s writing shifts between different characters' thoughts—sometimes within a single paragraph—showing how truth is shaped by perception. The novel doesn’t just tell lies outright; it forces the reader to decide which “truth” to believe.