The Drowned World

Strangman appears in dramatic fashion at the halfway point of the novel. He rides his hydroplane into the lagoon at high speed, cutting a dashing figure at the head of “a troupe of trained alligators” (139). Kerans quickly and correctly surmises that Strangman is a pirate, as evidenced by the vast quantities of loot that he and his men have pillaged from the abandoned cities of the world. Strangman’s appearance is unsettling to Kerans. In spite of the sun and the heat, he has notably “white skin” (179), which contrasts with the dark skin of his African crew. Strangman stands out at all times, seemingly operating according to different rules than everyone else. While most people are tanned or sunburned, Strangman is pale. Whereas most people are at war with iguanas and the rest of the natural world, Strangman has trained alligators to do his bidding. While most people try to operate morally in what is left of society, Strangman has abandoned any sense of responsibility or morality. Most people are alienated and afraid of the apocalypse, but Strangman is seemingly in his element. The cult-like devotion of his crew members contrasts with the morale that Riggs inspires in his own men. Strangman is a counterpoint to the apocalypse. Whereas most people are simply trying to survive this devastation, he has embraced the end of the world as an opportunity.

Kerans does not like Strangman. At first, he advocates for a policy of honesty. If he, Beatrice, and Bodkin reveal that they have nothing, he believes, then Strangman will soon move on. However Strangman does not move on. He lingers in the lagoon, taking pleasure in imposing himself on the alienated lives of the left-behind trio. He is especially fascinated by Beatrice. Strangman’s immorality is evident in the blunt, aggressive, and covetous way in which he treats Beatrice. He views her as another treasure to be looted, and he knows that out on the lagoon, separated from the last remaining tendrils of society, he need not feel beholden to any particular morality. Beatrice has presented herself as a relic of the old world by living in her grandfather’s apartment, so Strangman treats her as though she were a piece of abandoned artwork to be added to his collection. Ironically, in spite of his amassing of treasures, Strangman tells people that he has no interest in the past. The research conducted by Bodkin and Kerans means nothing to him, as he claims to be more interested in the 20th century. In truth, Strangman is fascinated by his own limitations. He wants to see how far he can push his existence, and the collection of relics—which have no monetary value given the collapse of civilization—is little more than a scoreboard for his own twisted interpretation of liberty. He refuses to be bound by the rules of a society that no longer exist.

Strangman may be a depraved and dangerous individual, but he succeeds in draining the lagoon and making the sunken city of London walkable again. As part of his fascination with doing whatever he pleases, he drains the lagoon and uncovers some of London’s most famous neighborhoods. This horrifies Beatrice, Bodkin, and Kerans, who become even more convinced that Strangman is a villain. Riggs offers a different point of view. In spite of his depravity, the return to these sunken cities is very much on the United Nations agenda. Strangman may be a criminal, but his actions provide the blueprint for humanity’s possible future. Riggs even concedes that Strangman “deserves a medal for pumping out the lagoon” (179), an institutional endorsement that Kerans cannot comprehend. Kerans blows up the dam, drowning Strangman in the city that was to be his greatest achievement. Rather than being celebrated for bringing the past back to life, Strangman becomes another body buried beneath the water and another relic of a past that will never return.

Colonel Riggs is the leader of the United Nations military envoy to the lagoon above the submerged London. Despite the difficulty of his mission, he remains in constant high spirits. He inspires his men’s morale effortlessly, and Kerans fears that he will not be able to inspire similar camaraderie when Riggs departs. Riggs’s high spirits and natural leadership contrast with his casual acceptance of the futility of their mission. At the beginning of the novel, he does not believe that the scientific research carried out by Kerans and Bodkin will lead to much. He does not believe that humanity stands much of a chance in the face of the apocalypse. Riggs does his job, however, and keeps morale high, embodying the stiff-upper-lip spirit of the British middle class. Much like Beatrice, Riggs is a throwback to a different time. While Beatrice is committed to obstinately continuing her lifestyle and refusing to cede any ground to the apocalypse, however, Riggs has decided to make do as best he can. His bulletproof joviality is an antidote to the nihilism and pessimism that may normally be associated with the apocalypse. Even as society collapses, Riggs knows that he has a job to do.

Riggs plays the role of hero near the end of the book. When Kerans and Beatrice are surrounded by Strangman and his pirates, Riggs saves them. This moment of hopefulness, however, is short-lived. As a character, Riggs possesses the most institutional authority. He alone understands how the United Nations leaders think. As he tells Kerans, Strangman is unlikely to be punished for his misdeeds. He may be a pirate, and he may nearly have killed Kerans, but Strangman has succeeded in reclaiming a drowned city. This act completely overshadows Strangman’s crimes; even though Riggs does not like Strangman, he pragmatically recognizes that the United Nations will be more interested in reclaiming cities than in punishing Kerans’s potential murderer. In this moment, Riggs becomes the mouthpiece of humanity’s pragmatism. After an apocalypse, there is no room for minor moral quibbles. Riggs, as ever, has a job to do, and saving humanity—if such a thing is possible—will likely entail working with disreputable people.