`The Lagoon`

Eve has fallen after eating the fruit of knowledge . Adam can not foresee his life without Eve by his side as he rightly thinks that she is created from his own body by God . The words of Arsat 's brother suggest the same idea when he says , there is half a man in you now - the other half is in that woman (Conrad ,

.8

Arsat 's feelings of grief and isolation at the approaching death of Diamelen of echo the feelings of loss and despair that Adam feels at the fall

of Eve . The helpless and pitiable condition of Arsat reflects the helplessness that Adam feels without Eve on his side . Arsat and Adam also have in common in their feeling of guilt though it is not for the same reason in both the cases . Arsat feels guilty when he realizes that he is the main reason for the death of his brother as Adam feels guilty after disobeying God

The story of Arsat and his brother has rich connotations of the Biblical story of Cain and Abel . Though in the story of Lagoon , Arsat did not directly kill his brother , evidently he is responsible for the death of his brother . In the escape for love and life , Arsat neither waits for his brother until he arrives nor cares the death cries of his brother who has saved his life . He later confesses that before the white man saying , I heard him calling my name again with a great shriek , as when life is going out together with the voice - and I never turned my head (Conrad ,

.8 ) Just like Cain in the Biblical story , Arsat feels guilty for his action and suffers the anguish of pain in his repentance

Thus , the story `The Lagoon ' echoes the archetypal...