Class 12 English Notes Short Story 4 (Tomorrow) – Kaliedoscope Book

Alright class, let's turn our attention to Joseph Conrad's deeply moving short story, "Tomorrow." This is an important text, exploring themes of hope, delusion, and the harshness of reality. For your exam preparation, pay close attention to the characters, setting, and the central irony of the narrative.

Detailed Notes: "Tomorrow" by Joseph Conrad

1. About the Author: Joseph Conrad (1857-1924)

• A Polish-British writer regarded as one of the greatest novelists in the English language.
• Known for his complex narratives, psychological depth, and exploration of themes like imperialism, isolation, moral ambiguity, and the darkness within human nature.
• His own experiences as a sailor heavily influenced his work, often featuring maritime settings and characters facing extreme situations.

2. Setting:

• Colebrook: A small, decaying, stagnant English port town.
• Significance: The bleak, unchanging, and isolated nature of Colebrook mirrors the lives of the characters, particularly Captain Hagberd's static existence and Bessie's trapped situation. It symbolizes hopelessness and the lack of progress or future prospects. The "mud-flats," "sombre water," and general atmosphere contribute to the story's mood of desolation.

3. Characters:

• Captain Hagberd:

  • An old, retired sailor.
  • Defining Trait: Obsession. He lives entirely consumed by the belief that his long-lost son, Harry, will return "tomorrow."
  • Actions: Constantly prepares his rented cottages for Harry's arrival, buys furniture, talks incessantly about his idealized son to anyone who will listen (mainly Bessie).
  • Psychology: He lives in a self-created delusion, a defence mechanism against the unbearable reality of his son's likely fate or indifference. His hope is fanatical and ultimately destructive. He represents the human tendency to cling to illusions even when confronted with reality.
  • Irony: His life is defined by waiting for a "tomorrow" that, in his idealized form, will never come. When the real son appears, Hagberd rejects him, unable to reconcile the reality with his fantasy.

• Bessie Carvil:

  • A young woman burdened by the care of her blind, demanding father.
  • Situation: Lives a life of drudgery, confinement, and emotional starvation. Her existence is as stagnant as Colebrook itself.
  • Relationship with Hagberd: She is his primary confidante regarding Harry. Initially, she listens out of pity or perhaps finds a vicarious escape in his fantastical stories. Hagberd envisions her marrying Harry.
  • Role: Represents trapped youth, duty, and the potential for disillusionment. She is a passive observer caught between the harsh reality of her father and the mad hope of Captain Hagberd. The arrival of the real Harry shatters any faint hope she might have derived from Hagberd's fantasy.

• Mr. Carvil:

  • Bessie's blind, aged, and tyrannical father.
  • Defining Trait: Bitterness, anger, and demanding nature. He is immobile and completely dependent on Bessie.
  • Symbolism: Represents utter stagnation, decay, and the crushing weight of inescapable reality and burdensome duty. His blindness can be seen as both literal and metaphorical (unaware or uncaring of Bessie's suffering).

• Harry Hagberd:

  • The prodigal son who finally returns.
  • Reality: A coarse, selfish, possibly disreputable wanderer. He is the stark opposite of the refined, successful son imagined by his father.
  • Motivation: Seems primarily interested in getting money from his father. Shows no genuine affection or understanding.
  • Impact: His arrival is the climax. He shatters the illusion for Bessie and forces Captain Hagberd to confront reality – a confrontation Hagberd fails, retreating deeper into delusion by labelling his actual son an imposter.

4. Plot Summary:

• Captain Hagberd lives in Colebrook, obsessed with the imminent return ("tomorrow") of his son Harry, who left for sea years ago.
• He constantly prepares his house and talks about Harry's virtues and successes to Bessie Carvil, who cares for her blind, abusive father next door.
• Hagberd intends for Harry to marry Bessie. Bessie listens, trapped in her own bleak life.
• One evening, a rough-looking man arrives – the real Harry Hagberd.
• Harry is crude and materialistic, confirming Bessie's unspoken fears and shattering Hagberd's idealized image.
• When Captain Hagberd finally sees his son, he refuses to recognize him, calling him an imposter and driving him away.
• Hagberd retreats into his madness, declaring that his real son is coming "tomorrow."
• Harry leaves, and Bessie is left more desolate than before, the fragile illusion destroyed.

5. Themes:

• Illusion vs. Reality: The central conflict. Hagberd's entire existence is built on an illusion, which ultimately proves more comforting to him than the harsh reality of his son.
• The Nature of Hope: Explores hope as both a sustaining force (keeping Hagberd alive) and a destructive one (leading to madness and denial).
• Obsession and Madness: Hagberd's hope deteriorates into a monomania that isolates him from reality.
• Stagnation and Decay: Reflected in the setting (Colebrook) and the lives of the characters (Hagberd's waiting, Bessie's confinement, Carvil's immobility).
• Loneliness and Isolation: All major characters are profoundly lonely and isolated in their own ways.
• Disillusionment: Bessie experiences profound disillusionment when the reality of Harry destroys the fragile fantasy.

6. Literary Style and Devices:

• Irony: Deeply ironic title ("Tomorrow" never truly comes in the way Hagberd expects). Situational irony (the long-awaited arrival leads to rejection). Dramatic irony (the reader understands the reality of Harry before/more clearly than Hagberd).
• Symbolism: Colebrook (stagnation), the prepared but empty cottages (empty hope), Carvil's blindness (ignorance/stagnation), "Tomorrow" (false hope/delusion).
• Atmosphere: Conrad masterfully creates a bleak, oppressive, and melancholic atmosphere that underscores the themes.
• Psychological Realism: Focuses on the internal states and motivations of the characters, particularly Hagberd's descent into delusion.

7. Significance of the Title:

• "Tomorrow" represents the focal point of Captain Hagberd's obsession.
• It signifies endless, futile waiting and the deferral of life.
• It is deeply ironic because the "tomorrow" Hagberd waits for is an idealized fantasy that can never materialize. When a version of tomorrow (the real Harry) arrives, it is rejected.

Key Takeaway for Exams: Understand the tragic irony at the heart of the story – how an obsession built on hope leads to a complete denial of reality when that hope is seemingly fulfilled, albeit in an unwelcome form. Analyse the characters as representations of different responses to harsh realities: delusion (Hagberd), weary endurance (Bessie), and bitter stagnation (Carvil).

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. In which town is Joseph Conrad's "Tomorrow" primarily set?
   a) London
   b) Dover
   c) Colebrook
   d) Portsmouth

2. What is Captain Hagberd's defining obsession?
   a) Finding buried treasure
   b) The return of his son, Harry
   c) Repairing his old ship
   d) Writing his memoirs

3. Who is Bessie Carvil primarily responsible for caring for?
   a) Captain Hagberd
   b) Her younger siblings
   c) Her blind, demanding father
   d) The local church

4. How does Captain Hagberd envision his son Harry?
   a) As a poor, struggling sailor
   b) As a successful, refined gentleman
   c) As a rebellious troublemaker
   d) As someone who needs rescuing

5. What is the reality of Harry Hagberd when he appears?
   a) He matches his father's idealized image perfectly.
   b) He is kind and apologetic for his long absence.
   c) He is coarse, selfish, and interested in money.
   d) He has become a highly respected naval officer.

6. How does Captain Hagberd react upon meeting the real Harry?
   a) He embraces him joyfully.
   b) He faints from the shock.
   c) He accuses him of being an imposter and drives him away.
   d) He immediately gives him money and asks him to stay.

7. What does the setting of Colebrook symbolize in the story?
   a) Prosperity and opportunity
   b) Adventure and the sea
   c) Stagnation, decay, and hopelessness
   d) Community and warmth

8. Which literary device is most prominent in the story's title and plot?
   a) Metaphor
   b) Simile
   c) Personification
   d) Irony

9. What happens to Bessie Carvil at the end of the story?
   a) She runs away with Harry Hagberd.
   b) She confronts Captain Hagberd about his delusion.
   c) She is left disillusioned and trapped in her situation.
   d) She decides to marry Captain Hagberd.

10. What is a major theme explored in "Tomorrow"?
    a) The triumph of hope over adversity
    b) The conflict between illusion and reality
    c) The importance of family reconciliation
    d) The excitement of maritime adventure

Answer Key:

1. c) Colebrook
2. b) The return of his son, Harry
3. c) Her blind, demanding father
4. b) As a successful, refined gentleman
5. c) He is coarse, selfish, and interested in money.
6. c) He accuses him of being an imposter and drives him away.
7. c) Stagnation, decay, and hopelessness
8. d) Irony
9. c) She is left disillusioned and trapped in her situation.
10. b) The conflict between illusion and reality

Study these notes carefully. Understanding the interplay between the characters and the central themes of illusion versus reality is key to mastering this story for your exams. Let me know if any part needs further clarification.