The Lagoon

By Joseph Conrad (1857-1924)

A Study Guide

 Where do each of the two men go at the end of the story?

At the end of the story, Tuan presumably returns to where he came from,
while Arsat prepares to leave and face his brother's murderers. Tuan arrives
at the island to visit his friend Arsat at the...
1 Educator Answer
 THE LAGOON

What is the inciting incident of this story ?

Arsat, a great warrior, falls in love with Diamelen, the concubine of a

respected chief. He hatches a bold plan that will allow them to be together.
While the rest of the village is busy fishing,...
1 Educator Answer
 THE LAGOON

Who is the real hero of "The Lagoon" by Joseph Conrad?

As with much by Conrad, the answer is complex. I think that a good case
could be made for Arsat's brother as being the hero for the short story.
Arsat's characterization is complex enough that he...
2 Educator Answers
 THE LAGOON

What are the setting and main characters of "The Lagoon" by Joseph Conrad?

In "The Lagoon," the central characters--the white man Tuan, Arsat the
Malayan warrior, Diamelen the lady love of Arsat, and Arsat's brother who is
also a warrior--play out their lives in the...
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 THE LAGOON
 In Conrad's "The Lagoon," single out some of the lines that demonstrate the
flowing, rhythmic quality of his prose. Joseph Conrad, a major English
storyteller, famed for Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim, was a Pole who
learned the language and literature of England from his father, a poet and a
translator of Shakespeare. At the age of sixteen, he became a seaman. For
twenty-one years, the sea was his life and his love. Single out some of the
lines in "The Lagoon" that demonstrate the flowing, rhythmic quality of his
prose.

There are of course varying opinions of Conrad's prose style. Some critics
would call it stagnant and cloying instead of flowing and rhythmic. However,
a careful reading of "The Lagoon" can isolate...
1 Educator Answer
 THE LAGOON

What is the role of Arsat's brother in "The Lagoon" by Joseph Conrad?

I think that the role of Arsat's brother is both direct and complex. On the
direct side, his role is to be the source of help and strength for Arsat. It is the
brother that provides counsel to...
2 Educator Answers
 THE LAGOON

How does description establish the proper atmosphere for the story "The
Lagoon"?

Conrad devotes approximately 1000 words to description that establishes

atmosphere as well as setting in "The Lagoon." Atmosphere, a term
synonymous with mood, is established by diction (high,...
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 THE LAGOON

What is the role of the white man in The Lagoon?

In The Lagoon, the white man's character is contrasted with that of Arsat, his
Malay friend. Conrad is as much a master at presenting the many facets of
the white Anglo-Saxon as he is at presenting...
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 THE LAGOON

What is the point of view of "The Lagoon" by Joseph Conrad?

The narrative perspective of this short story is somewhat confused by

Conrad's use of a framing narrative, which is a story-within-a-story. In a
sense, there are two tales here, and one lies within...
2 Educator Answers
 THE LAGOON

Discuss how one could justify the moral degradation of Diamelen.

If one were to justify Diamelen's moral degradation, I think that part of it

might lie with how she left with Arsat while she was committed to another
man. If this were to be continued, it would...
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 THE LAGOON

In "The Lagoon," how is it that Arsat and the White Man are friends?

In the story, Arsat is a young Malaysian man who previously fought alongside
the English man (Tuan). According to historical sources, the British forces in
Malaya traditionally sided with the...
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 THE LAGOON

At the end of "The Lagoon", what does Arsat plan to do? Bury Diamelen, seek
revenge, or forgive the killers?

At the end of the story, Arsat plans to seek revenge. The white man Tuan is
leaving the lagoon and urges Arsat to come with him, but Arsat refuses.
Arsat's forbidden lover Diamelen has died, and...
2 Educator Answers
 THE LAGOON

Discuss Joseph Conrad's short story "The Lagoon" as a story of moral

dilemma.
 "Lagoon" by Joseph Conrad presents a story of moral dilemma because the
hero Arsat must choose between two moral values, differeing in goodnes
only in the sense that one risks self and one rewards...
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 THE LAGOON

In Conrad's "The Lagoon," single out some of the lines that demonstrate the
flowing, rhythmic quality of the prose.

Conrad's prose in a number of his works is remarkable for its rhythmic,

flowing qualities, and this is nowhere more apparent than in the initial
description of the setting in this story, where he...
1 Educator Answer
 THE LAGOON

Comment on the ending of the short story "The Lagoon " by Joseph Conrad.

The ending of the story is shown to place Arsat in a very difficult position
from which there is no escape. Arsat, when he fled with Diamelen, had to
choose between going back and helping his...
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 THE LAGOON

Character of Arsat in Joseph Conrad's THE LAGOON Thank you

Joseph Conrad's "The Lagoon" is the confession of one man to another about
the crimes he has committed in the name of love. Arsat, a native Malayan,
once served with his brother in the army of the...
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 THE LAGOON

What is the white man's destination?

The unnamed white man is traveling up river, deep into the heart of the
Indonesian rainforest. It is there that he stays overnight with his Malayan
friend Arsat. We know that the white man has made...
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 THE LAGOON

What does the author reveal about a life of exile?

The author revealed that the life Arsat and his wife lived in exile was very
lonely, difficult and perilous. The location where their hut was located was
lonely because it was abandoned by the...
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 THE LAGOON

What is the structure of Joseph Conrad's story "The Lagoon"?

"The Lagoon" is structured by Conrad as a frame story. A frame story is one

in which the opening events or situations provide the framework for a
narrator or a character to digress from the present...
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 THE LAGOON

How does Conrad suggest the character of Arsat by his answers to the white
man Tuan's questions early in the story of "The Lagoon"? "The Lagoon" by
Joseph Conrad.

Tuan, the white man in "The Lagoon," asks Arsat three questions early on
after arriving at Arsat's clearing. These questions are "Why? Is there sickness
in the house?" and ""Has she been long ill?"...
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 THE LAGOON

Do you consider the character of Arsat as a tragic one?

I would consider Arsat a tragic character. On one hand, Arsat is tragic

because at a critical moment, he is faced with equally desirable, but
ultimately incompatible courses of action. At the...
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 THE LAGOON

Is Arsat to be seen as primarily a lover or a betrayer?

Part of what makes Conrad's work so compelling is that it forces the reader
to carefully examine and assess characterizations to a point where it
becomes difficult to see them as entirely "one...