Solitude and Leadership

In Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness, protagonist Marlow is a steamship captain working for the Company, an organization involved in business in colonial Africa. While the narrative is usually considered a critique of European imperialism, William Deresiewicz uses it as an analogy (a comparative example) for contemporary American bureaucracies. He uses Marlow’s descriptions of the manager and assistant in the Company to illustrate the type of individual who tends to advance in a bureaucracy, namely one who conforms to and maneuvers within a fixed system. Because an understanding of bureaucracy is central to Deresiewicz’s call for leadership reform, the images the novel provides are powerful. Reference to the widely read novel (and its film adaptation) give concrete illustrations of Deresiewicz’s ideas about leadership and bureaucracy.

“Solitude and Leadership” employs numerous anecdotes (short revealing stories) that recount real-world events to support Deresiewicz’s arguments. For example, General David Petraeus’s service in Iraq provides a powerful example of independent thinking and moral courage using a public figure familiar and relevant to the