# XIV explained — The Mirror of the Sea

> Chapter companion for The Mirror of the Sea by Joseph Conrad.

## What happens

The narrator reflects on the perfection of sailing-ships and the mysterious quality of speed dependent on seamanship and trim. He recalls a harsh winter in Amsterdam as chief mate, waiting for frozen cargo, dealing with the charterer Mr. Hudig, and learning the importance of humoring a ship's idiosyncrasies in loading.

## Themes in this chapter

### Art of Seamanship

The narrator emphasizes the skill required in loading (trim) and handling a ship to achieve speed, and the need to humor a ship's idiosyncrasies.

### Routine and Monotony

The long, frozen wait in Amsterdam with no cargo, daily letters to owners, and the repetitive tramcar journeys to Mr. Hudig's warm office.

### Fidelity and Love of Ships

The narrator's sacred fire for his craft and his care for the ship as a 'tender creature' that must be humored.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Hudig

The big, swarthy Netherlander charterer who cordially evades the narrator's demands for cargo by talking about the weather.

### Mr. Conrad

The narrator himself, a young chief mate of twenty-four, impatiently waiting for cargo and learning to handle his first command.

## Key lines

> The sailing-ship, when I knew her in her days of perfection, was a sensible creature.

The sailing-ship, at its peak, was a rational and responsive vessel.

_Opening reflection on the ship's character._

> I was, as the French say, biting my fists with impatience for that cargo frozen upcountry; with rage at that canal set fast, at the wintry and deserted aspect of all those ships that seemed to decay in grim depression for want of the open water.

I was frustrated and angry, waiting for the cargo stuck upcountry and seeing the frozen canal and desolate ships.

_Narrator's impatience during the winter delay._

> Your ship is a tender creature, whose idiosyncrasies must be attended to if you mean her to come with credit to herself and you through the rough-and-tumble of her life.

A ship is a sensitive being whose peculiarities must be respected for a successful voyage.

_Final lesson on ship handling._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mirror_of_the_sea_se/chapters/xiv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mirror_of_the_sea_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mirror_of_the_sea_se/chapters