# XLV explained — The Mirror of the Sea

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

## What happens

The narrator recounts the final, violent moments of the Tremolino's voyage, including the betrayal by Cesar, the deliberate wrecking of the ship to escape the guardacosta, and Dominic Cervoni's anguished confession and departure inland carrying an oar.

## Themes in this chapter

### Nostalgia and Loss

The narrator's memory of the Tremolino's destruction and Dominic's departure evokes a deep sense of loss and longing for the past.

### Heroism and National Spirit

Dominic's decisive action to wreck the ship and his sense of honor in dealing with betrayal reflect a personal code of heroism.

### The Sea as Mirror

The sea reflects the moral turmoil and finality of the events, with the shipwreck serving as a mirror to the characters' inner conflicts.

## Character check-ins

### Dominic Cervoni

Padrone who orchestrates the shipwreck, confesses to killing his traitorous nephew Cesar, and then walks away inland with an oar.

### Cesar

Nephew of Dominic, revealed as the traitor who stole the gold belt and informed the guardacosta; drowned by Dominic.

### Mr. Conrad

Narrator and owner of the Tremolino, struck senseless during the wreck, later witnesses Dominic's departure.

## Key lines

> I saw in a distracting minute the foreyard fly fore and aft with a brutal swing, the men all in a heap, cursing with fear, and hauling frantically at the line of the boat.

In a chaotic moment, the foreyard swung violently, the crew fell into a panicked pile, and they desperately pulled the boat's line.

_Describes the immediate aftermath of the shipwreck._

> This shipwreck lies upon my soul with the dread and horror of a homicide, with the unforgettable remorse of having crushed a living, faithful heart at a single blow.

The wreck haunts me like a murder, and I feel the lasting guilt of destroying something loyal and alive in one stroke.

_The narrator expresses profound guilt over the deliberate destruction of the Tremolino._

> Thus, walking deliberately, with his back to the sea, Dominic vanished from my sight.

So Dominic walked away purposefully, turning his back on the ocean, and disappeared from my view.

_Describes Dominic's final departure inland._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mirror_of_the_sea_se/chapters/xlv
- 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