Conrad employs a simile comparing Winnie to a weary traveler to subtly hint at her internal conflict, and also to foreshadow the drama of the events that unfold after Verloc explains his plans to escape England:
There must have been something imperfect in Mrs Verloc’s sentiment of regained freedom. Instead of taking the way of the door she leaned back, with her shoulders against the tablet of the mantelpiece, as a wayfarer rests against a fence.
The simile the narrator uses here compares Mrs. Verloc's posture to "a wayfarer” that “rests against a fence." The image of a wayfarer—a traveler or wanderer—implies that Mr. Verloc is on a journey. The action of resting “against a fence” suggests a momentary pause, a gathering of strength before continuing. This comparison illuminates Winnie’s emotional state. Though she has absorbed the traumatic revelation that her husband caused her beloved brother’s death, she is not yet at her “destination.” The weariness conveyed here reinforces the reader’s sense of her profound exhaustion. She is “resting” against the “tablet of the mantelpiece” as she grapples with the facts and plans her next move.
This moment of quiet reflection—especially when coupled with the simile of an incomplete journey—serves as foreshadowing. The "imperfect" sentiment of Winnie's “regained freedom” hints that her reaction to the news about Stevie isn't complete. Her choice to rest against the mantelpiece instead of leaving the room implies hesitation, a pause before a significant action. The temporary respite Winnie takes foreshadows further confrontation and conflict, suggesting that there's more to come in her response to her husband's revelation. The reader gets a sense of looming dread, anticipating that the conversation and its aftermath are far from over. The entire scene sets the stage for Mrs. Verloc's later actions. This moment makes it clear to the reader that she has not yet fully processed or reacted to the shocking truths she's learned.
