01 · Explore
Joseph Conrad and the Theme of Isolation
Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) was a Polish-born British writer known for his ability to evoke intense atmospheres and explore the complexities of the human mind.
Conrad's work often focuses on characters who suffer from a profound sense of isolation. In 'Tomorrow', this isolation is physical, emotional, and mental, as seen in the lives of the residents of Colebrook.
The author utilizes a 'story within a story' method to delve into the inexplicable inner character of life. His writing is characterized by a meticulous attention to detail, which helps build the specific, often morbid, atmosphere of the seaport town.
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What is a recurring theme in Joseph Conrad's characters according to the text?
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02 · Explore
Captain Hagberd's Hopeful Madness
Captain Hagberd is a retired coasting-skipper who settled in Colebrook under unreasonable circumstances, driven by a singular obsession.
Hagberd moved to Colebrook after receiving a likely hoax letter about his long-lost son, Harry. He sold his home in Colchester and built two cheap cottages, living in one and renting the other to the blind boat-builder, Josiah Carvil.
The townspeople view Hagberd as a 'character' or a 'skinflint'. He wears a suit made of stiff No.1 sailcloth, which he claims is only 'for the present'. His life is entirely suspended in a state of waiting for his son's return, which he initially predicted for 'next week' or 'next month', but eventually settled on a permanent 'tomorrow'.
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Why did Captain Hagberd choose to settle in Colebrook?
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03 · Explore
Bessie Carvil: The Burden of Duty
Bessie Carvil lives a life of drudgery and emotional exhaustion, serving as the primary caregiver for her tyrannical father.
Bessie is described as a tall girl with a 'tired, unrefreshed face'. For ten years, her life has been confined to nursing her father, Josiah Carvil, a blind man who behaves like a domestic tyrant. He uses his affliction to enslave her, constantly bellowing for her attention and hanging his weight on her.
Bessie finds a strange solace in her interactions with Captain Hagberd. Though she recognizes his madness, his paternal and hopeful talk provides a contrast to her father's bestial roars. She humours Hagberd's delusions, partly out of pity and partly because it is easier than confronting the harsh reality of her own hopeless existence.
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How does Josiah Carvil treat his daughter Bessie?
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04 · Explore
The Architecture of a Delusion
Captain Hagberd's madness is not chaotic; it is a structured, 'reasonable' delusion that dictates every aspect of his daily life.
Hagberd has spent years preparing the second cottage for Harry's return. He has filled it with new furniture, which he keeps hidden from all human eyes, including Bessie's. He believes that once Harry arrives 'tomorrow', the fence between the two cottages will be removed, and Bessie will marry Harry.
This delusion is so fragile that any doubt expressed by others causes Hagberd to react with horror or anger. Bessie learned never to contradict him after seeing his extreme distress when she once suggested Harry might have drowned. To Hagberd, the sea cannot keep his son because 'none of us Hagberds ever did belong to it'.
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What is Captain Hagberd's ultimate plan for Bessie and Harry?
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05 · Explore
The Arrival of the Real Harry
The climax of the story occurs when a stranger arrives at the gate, claiming to be the very person Hagberd has been waiting for.
A man with a 'firm leisurely step' approaches Hagberd's gate. He is Harry Hagberd, but he does not fit the 'clever-looking boy' his father remembers. Harry has spent sixteen years wandering the world, living a life of restless adventure as a 'Gambusino'—a man who looks for things but never stays in one place.
When Harry identifies himself to his father, the Captain's madness prevents him from recognizing the truth. Because Harry arrives 'today' and challenges the Captain's fixed notions, Hagberd dismisses him as a 'grinning information fellow' and even throws a shovel at him to drive him away.
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Why does Captain Hagberd refuse to believe the stranger is his son?
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06 · Explore
The Encounter Between Harry and Bessie
While the father rejects the son, Harry and Bessie share a brief, intense encounter over the garden railing.
Harry is a man of the sea and the world, possessing a 'hard heart' and a 'kiss and go' attitude. He came to Colebrook only because he was 'hard up' and hoped to get five pounds from his father. He finds the idea of 'settling down' in a 'rabbit-hutch' of a house to be a fate worse than death.
Bessie is overwhelmed by Harry's physical presence and his stories of the 'stony country'. For a moment, she hopes that he might be her escape. However, Harry's nature is fundamentally restless. He takes the half-sovereign she offers and, after a series of overmastering kisses, leaves her behind, just as the Gambusino in his song left the girl who tried to hold him.
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What was Harry's primary motivation for coming to see his father?
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07 · Explore
Conclusion: The Everlasting Tomorrow
The story ends with a return to the status quo, but with a newfound sense of tragedy for Bessie.
After Harry leaves, Captain Hagberd is triumphant, believing he has chased away a fraud. He calls out to Bessie, 'Don't you be impatient, my dear. One day more.' His hope remains inextinguishable because it is divorced from reality.
Bessie, however, is left 'turning into stone'. She has glimpsed a possibility of life and escape, only to have it snatched away. She returns to her 'stuffy little inferno' and the shouts of her father, now fully aware that the 'tomorrow' she waited for has come and gone, leaving her more isolated than ever.
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How does the story's ending affect Bessie differently than Captain Hagberd?
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08 · Explore
Literary Devices: Allusion and Imagery
Conrad uses specific literary techniques to enhance the atmosphere and characterization in 'Tomorrow'.
A key device used is 'allusion'—a casual or indirect reference to a famous historical or literary figure. For example, Hagberd is described as having a 'beard of Father Neptune', resembling a 'deposed sea-god'. This compares his maritime past and current state to a powerful but fallen mythological figure.
The imagery of the 'stony country' and the 'rabbit-hutch' cottages reinforces the themes of entrapment and barrenness. The sea is presented as a 'restless' force that mirrors Harry's character, while the land represents the 'stabler element' that Hagberd craves but can only experience through a distorted lens.
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What is an 'allusion'?
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Sign inNew here? Sign up freeNCERT reference: chapter PDF pages 10, 24, 25, 29, 31.