Nature, Identity, and Emotions: Nostromo

This chapter on Nostromo (1904) expands the critical field of vision from the emotions of the individual to the collective, and discusses the common subjective tendencies manifested by the main characters. It raises the universal issue of the difficulty of reconciling one’s personal sense of identity with the consciousness of being part of Nature, indicating that this issue is closely related to the human desire for secure self-identity. The distinguishing feature of Nature in the novel is impermanence, and the characters conceive their identity either in defiance of or in conformity with Nature; the depiction of the novel demonstrates that personal identity is engendered by a significant emotion induced by a threat of unexpected change and then sustained by a practical action. As the fundamental basis of personal identity is often the desire to defy Nature, so the principal factor that shapes their lives is the compulsive power of emotion.