Synopsis
The End of the Tether by Joseph Conrad. The End of the Tether by Joseph Conrad is a somber, mature and beautifully crafted novella published in 1902. The End of the Tether is about an old ship's captain who has since retired on his savings but a banking crisis has left him penniless. It is not so much that he doesn't have any money any more (though that still is a bit of a problem), but rather than he wanted to pass some money down to his daughter so that she might not live in want. In fact there is a whole story about his daughter, but then again this particular book is incredibly complex with the various threads weaving through it. The End of the Tether by Joseph Conrad demonstrates again his mastery of prose fiction forms. In this case Conrad has written a novella about a sea captain named Whalley who has had a financial disaster at the end of a distinguished career. Conrad offers a fascinating story resting upon the shoulders of his meticulously developed characters. Ranked by critics and literary experts as one of the most important English writers, Joseph Conrad contributed to the Western canon with such masterpieces as Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim. A master of intricate psychological portraiture, Conrad brings this skill to bear in "The End of the Tether," a story about an elderly man's attempt to come to grips with his own mortality.
