Excerpt

Excerpt from To-morrow, by Joseph Conrad

“It rots the wood,” repeated Captain Hagberd. “It is the only unthrifty,
careless habit I know in you. Why don’t you have a clothes line out in
your back yard?”

Miss Carvil would say nothing to this--she only shook her head
negatively. The tiny back yard on her side had a few stone-bordered
little beds of black earth, in which the simple flowers she found time
to cultivate appeared somehow extravagantly overgrown, as if belonging
to an exotic clime; and Captain Hagberd’s upright, hale person, clad in
No. 1 sail-cloth from head to foot, would be emerging knee-deep out of
rank grass and the tall weeks on his side of the fence. He appeared,
with the colour and uncouth stiffness of the extraordinary material in
which he chose to clothe himself--“for the time being,” would be his
mumbled remark to any observation on the subject--like a man roughened
out of granite, standing in a wilderness not big enough for a decent
billiard-room. A heavy figure of a man of stone, with a red handsome
face, a blue wandering eye, and a great white beard flowing to his waist
and never trimmed as far as Colebrook knew.

Seven years before, he had seriously answered, “Next month, I think,”
to the chaffing attempt to secure his custom made by that distinguished
local wit, the Colebrook barber, who happened to be sitting insolently
in the tap-room of the New Inn near the harbour, where the captain had
entered to buy an ounce of tobacco. After paying for his purchase with
three half-pence extracted from the corner of a handkerchief which he
carried in the cuff of his sleeve, Captain Hagberd went out. As soon
as the door was shut the barber laughed. “The old one and the young one
will be strolling arm in arm to get shaved in my place presently. The
tailor shall be set to work, and the barber, and the candlestick maker;
high old times are coming for Colebrook, they are coming, to be sure. It
used to be ‘next week,’ now it has come to ‘next month,’ and so on--soon
it will be next spring, for all I know.”

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Explanation

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from To-morrow by Joseph Conrad

Context of the Work

To-morrow (1902) is a short story by Joseph Conrad, a Polish-British writer known for his psychological depth, maritime settings, and explorations of human obsession, isolation, and the clash between illusion and reality. The story centers on Captain Hagberd, a retired seaman who lives in the coastal town of Colebrook, waiting for the return of his son, Harry, who ran away to sea years earlier. Hagberd’s life is consumed by this expectation, and his obsession blinds him to reality—including the fact that Harry has no intention of returning.

The excerpt provided introduces Captain Hagberd’s eccentricities, his strained relationship with his neighbor Miss Carvil, and the townspeople’s skepticism toward his delusions. The passage is rich in characterization, symbolism, and irony, revealing Conrad’s mastery of psychological realism and his ability to convey deep themes through seemingly mundane details.

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Breakdown of the Excerpt

1. The Opening Exchange: Hagberd’s Criticism of Miss Carvil

“It rots the wood,” repeated Captain Hagberd. “It is the only unthrifty, careless habit I know in you. Why don’t you have a clothes line out in your back yard?”Miss Carvil would say nothing to this--she only shook her head negatively.

• Literal Meaning: Hagberd is scolding Miss Carvil for drying clothes indoors (which causes wood rot), suggesting she install a clothesline outside.
• Symbolic & Thematic Significance:
  • Order vs. Neglect: Hagberd’s criticism reflects his obsession with control and routine, contrasting with Miss Carvil’s silent resistance. His fixation on trivial matters (like wood rot) mirrors his inability to confront larger truths (e.g., his son’s abandonment).
  • Isolation & Failed Communication: The exchange is one-sided—Miss Carvil does not engage, highlighting the breakdown of human connection in Colebrook. Hagberd’s words fall on deaf ears, just as his hopes for his son’s return are unreciprocated.
  • Gender Dynamics: Hagberd’s condescension toward Miss Carvil (a woman managing her own household) suggests patriarchal assumptions—he assumes authority over her domestic habits, reinforcing his rigid, domineering personality.

2. The Contrast Between the Two Gardens

The tiny back yard on her side had a few stone-bordered little beds of black earth, in which the simple flowers she found time to cultivate appeared somehow extravagantly overgrown, as if belonging to an exotic clime; and Captain Hagberd’s upright, hale person, clad in No. 1 sail-cloth from head to foot, would be emerging knee-deep out of rank grass and the tall weeds on his side of the fence.

• Imagery & Symbolism:

  • Miss Carvil’s Garden: Despite its small size, her flowers are "extravagantly overgrown", suggesting vitality, resilience, and hidden beauty—qualities that contrast with Hagberd’s stagnation. The "exotic clime" hint may symbolize adaptability and life beyond Colebrook’s dreariness.
  • Hagberd’s Overgrown Yard: His side is wild, untamed, and neglected—mirroring his psychological state. The "rank grass and tall weeds" represent decay, forgotten time, and the unchecked growth of his obsession.
  • The Fence as a Divide: The fence separates order (Miss Carvil) from chaos (Hagberd), reinforcing the isolation of individuals in Colebrook.

• Characterization of Hagberd:

  • "Upright, hale person": Physically strong, but emotionally brittle.
  • "Clad in No. 1 sail-cloth": His refusal to wear normal clothes symbolizes his clinging to the past (sail-cloth is a seaman’s uniform, reinforcing his identity as a failed captain).
  • "For the time being": His vague excuse suggests denial—he believes his current state is temporary, that Harry’s return will restore normalcy.

3. Hagberd’s Granite-Like Appearance

He appeared, with the colour and uncouth stiffness of the extraordinary material in which he chose to clothe himself--“for the time being,” would be his mumbled remark to any observation on the subject--like a man roughened out of granite, standing in a wilderness not big enough for a decent billiard-room.

• Simile & Metaphor:

  • "Roughened out of granite": Hagberd is hard, unyielding, and cold—like stone, he is unmoved by reality. Granite also suggests permanence, yet his life is built on a delusion.
  • "Wilderness not big enough for a decent billiard-room": A darkly comic image—his life is confined and absurd. A billiard room symbolizes civilized leisure, but his existence is primitive and isolated.

• Psychological Insight:

  • His physical rigidity reflects his mental inflexibility. He cannot adapt to his son’s absence, so he lives in a self-imposed limbo.

4. The Barber’s Mockery: Public Perception of Hagberd

Seven years before, he had seriously answered, “Next month, I think,” to the chaffing attempt to secure his custom made by that distinguished local wit, the Colebrook barber...

• Dramatic Irony:

  • The barber mocks Hagberd’s delusion that his son will return "next month", but the reader (and the townspeople) know Harry is never coming back.
  • Hagberd’s seriousness in the face of ridicule highlights his tragic obliviousness.

• Symbolism of the Barber:

  • The barber represents Colebrook’s cynicism. His insolent laughter underscores the town’s dismissal of Hagberd as a fool.
  • "The old one and the young one will be strolling arm in arm": A sarcastic fantasy—the townspeople humor Hagberd’s delusion while privately mocking him.

• Economic & Social Commentary:

  • The barber’s joke about "the tailor, the barber, and the candlestick maker" (a reference to the nursery rhyme "Rub-a-Dub-Dub") suggests false prosperity. Hagberd’s hoped-for reunion is economic wishful thinking—Colebrook is a dying town, and his son’s return would bring no real change.

• Hagberd’s Poverty & Pride:

  • He pays for tobacco with three half-pence from a handkerchief in his sleeve—a humiliating display of frugality, yet he clings to his captain’s dignity.
  • His refusal to be shaved (a sign of civilization) reinforces his rejection of the present—he lives as if time has stopped.

5. The Barber’s Prophecy: The Decay of Hope

“It used to be ‘next week,’ now it has come to ‘next month,’ and so on--soon it will be next spring, for all I know.”

• Time as a Theme:

  • Hagberd’s shifting timeline ("next week" → "next month" → "next spring") shows how hope stretches into infinity, becoming more abstract and unattainable.
  • The barber’s cynical prediction foreshadows that Hagberd’s wait will never end—his life is a perpetual deferral of reality.

• Tragic Irony:

  • The reader knows (or suspects) that Harry is already dead or gone forever, making Hagberd’s wait both pathetic and poignant.

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Key Themes in the Excerpt

1. Illusion vs. Reality:

   • Hagberd lives in a fantasy where his son will return, while the town sees the truth—his hope is delusional.
   • The overgrown garden vs. the granite man symbolizes life vs. stagnation.

2. Isolation & Alienation:

   • Hagberd is physically and emotionally cut off—his fence, his sail-cloth, his silence all reinforce his loneliness.
   • Miss Carvil’s silent resistance shows how no one engages with him meaningfully.

3. The Passage of Time:

   • The barber’s mockery highlights how Hagberd’s hope decays over years, yet he refuses to accept it.
   • The rotten wood and overgrown weeds are metaphors for neglected time.

4. Human Folly & Obsession:

   • Hagberd’s fixation on his son’s return blinds him to his own deterioration and the town’s scorn.
   • His granite-like stubbornness is both tragic and absurd.

5. Social Critique:

   • Colebrook is a decaying, gossip-ridden town where people mock rather than help the vulnerable.
   • The barber’s cruelty reflects a lack of empathy in the community.

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Literary Devices Used

Device	Example	Effect
Simile	"like a man roughened out of granite"	Emphasizes Hagberd’s unyielding, cold nature.
Metaphor	"flowers... as if belonging to an exotic clime"	Suggests hidden vitality in Miss Carvil’s life, contrasting Hagberd’s decay.
Irony (Dramatic & Situational)	Hagberd’s serious "Next month" vs. the barber’s mockery	Highlights the tragic gap between hope and reality.
Symbolism	Overgrown garden = neglected life; sail-cloth = clinging to the past	Reinforces themes of decay and denial.
Imagery (Tactile & Visual)	"knee-deep out of rank grass", "red handsome face, a blue wandering eye"	Creates a vivid, almost grotesque picture of Hagberd.
Foreshadowing	The barber’s "soon it will be next spring"	Hints that Hagberd’s wait will never end.
Characterization (Indirect)	Miss Carvil’s silence, Hagberd’s granite-like stiffness	Reveals personality through actions, not words.

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Significance of the Excerpt

This passage is microcosmic of the entire story—it encapsulates:

• Hagberd’s tragic flaw: His inability to let go of the past.
• The town’s cruelty: They humor but do not help him, making his suffering both personal and social.
• Conrad’s style: Psychological depth, symbolic richness, and dark humor blend to create a poignant critique of human delusion.

The excerpt also sets up the story’s climax, where Hagberd’s illusions collapse—but even then, he refuses to accept reality, making his fate doubly tragic.

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Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters

Conrad’s genius lies in how he uses mundane details (a clothesline, a garden, a barber’s joke) to reveal profound truths about hope, time, and human frailty. Hagberd is both ridiculous and pitiable—a man who chooses illusion over reality because the truth is too painful to bear.

The passage invites the reader to question:

• How much of our own lives are built on unfulfilled expectations?
• When does hope become delusion?
• How do society and isolation shape a person’s descent into **obsession"?

In To-morrow, Conrad does not judge Hagberd harshly—instead, he exposes the fragility of human dreams, making this excerpt not just a character study, but a meditation on the human condition.

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Questions

Question 1

The passage’s depiction of Captain Hagberd’s garden as overgrown with "rank grass and the tall weeds" serves primarily to:

A. underscore the psychological disarray beneath his outward rigidity, mirroring his unchecked obsession with his son’s return.
B. contrast the natural vitality of Colebrook’s landscape with the artificial constraints of maritime life.
C. symbolise the town’s collective neglect of Hagberd, as his property reflects their refusal to engage with his delusions.
D. highlight Miss Carvil’s superior gardening skills, positioning her as a foil to Hagberd’s incompetence.
E. evoke the cyclical nature of time, where growth and decay are inevitable and indifferent to human longing.

Question 2

The barber’s remark—"The old one and the young one will be strolling arm in arm to get shaved in my place presently"—functions most effectively as:

A. a literal prediction of Hagberd’s eventual reconciliation with his son, framed as local gossip.
B. an example of Colebrook’s superstitious belief in prophecies, suggesting the town’s shared delusions.
C. a cruel parody of Hagberd’s fantasy, exposing the town’s derision while reinforcing the futility of his hope.
D. a metaphor for the generational divide in Colebrook, where youth and age are perpetually at odds.
E. an ironic commentary on Hagberd’s hygiene, implying his neglect extends to basic self-care.

Question 3

Miss Carvil’s silent refusal to respond to Hagberd’s criticism about the clothesline is best interpreted as:

A. passive aggression, revealing her resentment toward his patriarchal interference.
B. stoic acceptance of his eccentricities, demonstrating her role as the town’s tolerant mediator.
C. a strategic avoidance of conflict, preserving the fragile equilibrium of their neighborly dynamic.
D. an implicit acknowledgment of his authority, reinforcing the gendered power structures of Colebrook.
E. a nonverbal assertion of autonomy, contrasting her grounded realism with his delusional rigidity.

Question 4

The description of Hagberd as "a man roughened out of granite" is most thematically resonant with the idea that:

A. his physical endurance is a metaphor for the resilience required to survive Colebrook’s harsh coastal environment.
B. his emotional coldness is a defensive response to the town’s persistent mockery and isolation.
C. his obsession with the past has fossilised him, rendering him incapable of growth or change.
D. his identity is an unfinished sculpture, symbolising the incomplete nature of his life without his son.
E. his stubbornness is a virtue, positioning him as a tragic hero resisting societal decay.

Question 5

The passage’s structural juxtaposition of Hagberd’s "Next month, I think" with the barber’s escalating timeline ("next week" → "next month" → "next spring") primarily serves to:

A. illustrate the barber’s superior understanding of time’s linear progression, unlike Hagberd’s circular thinking.
B. emphasise the economic stagnation of Colebrook, where even hope is deferred indefinitely.
C. critique Hagberd’s lack of precision, suggesting his delusion is rooted in vague, shifting justifications.
D. foreshadow the eventual collapse of Hagberd’s illusion, as time erodes his already fragile grasp on reality.
E. expose the absurdity of human expectation, where hope stretches into infinity while reality remains unchanged.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: A

Why A is most correct: The overgrown garden is a psychological externalisation of Hagberd’s internal state. His obsession with his son’s return has left the rest of his life—like his garden—untended and wild. The contrast between his "granite" exterior (rigid, controlled) and the chaotic vegetation (uncontrolled, sprawling) underscores the dissonance between his self-image and his psychological unravelling. Conrad frequently uses physical spaces to mirror mental states (e.g., Kurtz’s station in Heart of Darkness), and here, the garden’s neglect parallels Hagberd’s refusal to confront reality.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• B: The passage does not frame the garden as a celebration of natural vitality but as a sign of decay. The "wilderness" is too small for a billiard room—a darkly comic image of confinement, not freedom.
• C: While the town neglects Hagberd, the garden’s state is his own doing, not a metaphor for collective abandonment. The text focuses on his agency in letting it grow wild.
• D: Miss Carvil’s garden is orderly and flourishing; the contrast is about psychological states, not gardening competence. Hagberd’s neglect is symbolic, not a literal failure.
• E: The garden’s decay is not indifferent—it is directly tied to Hagberd’s obsession. Time’s cyclical nature is a theme, but the immediate function of the imagery is psychological, not philosophical.

2) Correct answer: C

Why C is most correct: The barber’s remark is mocking imitation of Hagberd’s delusion, turning his private hope into a public joke. The phrase "arm in arm" parodies the reconciliation Hagberd imagines, while the barber’s insolent tone ("distinguished local wit") reveals Colebrook’s cynical amusement at his expense. This exposes the futility of Hagberd’s hope—the town humors him but does not believe him, making his isolation both personal and socially enforced.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: The remark is clearly sarcastic, not a genuine prediction. The barber’s laughter immediately after confirms this.
• B: There is no evidence of shared delusions in Colebrook; the town is skeptical and derisive, not superstitious.
• D: The generational divide is not the focus. The joke targets Hagberd’s specific delusion, not a broader social conflict.
• E: While Hagberd’s hygiene is mentioned (his untrimmed beard), the barber’s comment is about the son’s return, not grooming. The primary target is Hagberd’s obsession, not his appearance.

3) Correct answer: E

Why E is most correct: Miss Carvil’s silence is a form of resistance. Unlike Hagberd, who imposes his will (e.g., criticising her clothesline), she does not engage in his delusions. Her nonverbal refusal—shaking her head—asserts her autonomy and grounded realism. This contrasts sharply with Hagberd’s rigid, vocal insistence on his own version of reality. Conrad often uses silence as a tool of power (e.g., in Lord Jim), and here, it undermines Hagberd’s authority without direct confrontation.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: While "passive aggression" is plausible, the text does not suggest resentment—her silence is neutral and firm, not emotionally charged.
• B: She is not a mediator for the town; her role is individual, not communal. The passage focuses on her interaction with Hagberd, not broader social dynamics.
• C: The "equilibrium" reading is too conciliatory. Her silence is not about preserving harmony but rejecting his intrusion.
• D: The opposite is true—her silence undermines his authority, showing she does not acknowledge his dominance.

4) Correct answer: D

Why D is most correct: The "granite" simile suggests incompleteness—Hagberd is "roughened out", like an unfinished statue. This aligns with the idea that his life is on hold, waiting for his son’s return to give it form and purpose. The sculptural metaphor implies he is static, incomplete, and lacking the "final touches" that would make him whole. Conrad often uses artistic imagery to convey existential stasis (e.g., The Secret Sharer), and here, it reinforces the tragic gap between Hagberd’s self-perception and his actual state.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: The simile is not about endurance—it’s about stagnation. Hagberd is not adapting; he is frozen.
• B: His coldness is not a defensive response but a fundamental trait. The text does not suggest he chose to be this way due to mockery.
• C: While "fossilised" is tempting, the sculptural imagery ("roughened out") emphasises incompleteness, not just rigidity.
• E: His stubbornness is not virtuous—it is pathological. The passage critiques his delusion, not celebrates it.

5) Correct answer: E

Why E is most correct: The escalating timeline ("next week" → "next month" → "next spring") exposes the absurdity of human expectation. Hagberd’s hope stretches indefinitely, but reality does not change—his son is not coming back. The barber’s cynical extrapolation highlights how hope becomes a self-perpetuating delusion, detached from actual time. This aligns with Conrad’s existential themes, where human longing is often met with indifference (e.g., Nostromo). The comic yet tragic effect lies in the infinite deferral of fulfillment.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: The barber does not understand time better—he mocks Hagberd’s inability to accept it. The focus is on absurdity, not linear vs. circular time.
• B: Economic stagnation is not the primary concern. The passage is about personal delusion, not societal decay.
• C: The issue is not lack of precision but the infinite extension of hope. Hagberd’s timeline shifts because his grip on reality is slipping, not because he is imprecise.
• D: While the collapse of his illusion is foreshadowed, the immediate effect of the juxtaposition is to highlight the absurdity of his hope, not its eventual failure. The tragic irony is that he will never stop waiting.