Nostromo by Joseph Conrad

First, this is not the book I expected from reading the back of the cover--I expected a psychological study of Nostromo, a trusted character who steals a boat load of silver from a mine owner. I thought the novel would be like Conrad's Lord Jim, an explanation of one man's seemingly inexplicable behavior. Conrad included that, but as only a small part of this complex novel.

Second, I must admit that I know I have not fully understood all the many levels included here. As with all of Conrad, this book could be read many times with new discoveries in each reading.

The story take place in the fictitious South or Central American country of Costaguana, with a revolution spreading from the north of the country. Isolated from the rest of the country by mountains, the region is currently prosperous due to a silver mine. Faced with the prospect of a revolutionary take-over, the owner of the mine is prepared to blow up the entire enterprise, but entrusts the silver already in ingots with a trusted worker from the port.

On the psychological level, Conrad gives us an understanding of many characters:
Nostromo, a stranger to the country of Costaguana, who has become the most trusted of employees of the shipping company and subsequently of the ruling families, seemingly incorruptible and able to accomplish the most difficult of tasks;
Charles Gould, the owner of the silver mine, who begins his work with moral goals but who becomes consumed with materialistic goals;
Mrs. Gould, the altruistic wife, who wholeheartedly joins her husband in the mining endeavor, only to find that she has lost him to his new goals;
Doctor Monygham, the brilliant doctor, who has lost faith in himself but is redeemed by his silent love for Mrs. Gould;
Martin Decoud, the eternal skeptic and cynic, who joins a counter-revolution for the love of an idealistic girl;
and many more.

On another level, this is a very political novel, with Conrad explicating the conditions leading to civil unrest in Central and South America, and, indeed, applicable to today's North America. It's all about the money, folks.

On another level, each character is symbolic of a specific human characteristic, such as materialism, altruism, idealism, skepticism, pragmatism, and so forth.

And then there's the plot, which is extraordinarily interesting. And then you have the heartbreaking love stories.

I had only one complaint: the very last part of the novel grew rushed, as though Conrad had the plot all lined up but got tired of writing. The way he handled the exposition was very clever, though.

I would put this novel in the Top Ten Best of my reading career. It was #47 on the Modern Library's Top 100. I will read this one again, and again.

I may even have missed a level on which the novel can be read.