One of the major themes of the novella is the contrast between Conrad's characters who are imaginative men aware of the larger issues of life and conscious of the potential for disaster and the literal minded and relatively unaware Captain MacWhirr. MacWhirr is a hard working captain devoted to routine and loyal to the needs of the Nan-Shan and the interests of her owners. Yet he lacks imagination and seems oblivious to the threat of death or disaster in any situation. His response to Jukes's concern about the dangers of flying under the Siamese flag—the colors of an Asian nation which is negligible in the international power struggle—illustrates MacWhirr's lack of imaginative vision. After Jukes's remark, MacWhirr gets the Siamese flag out and studies it carefully to see if there is a flaw in the material,.....
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