Lord Jim
Throughout all of Conrad's writings there has never been one character which stood out the most like Jim, in Lord Jim. Jim is a person destined to be a hero, but too shy and scared to be considered one. When reading the opening paragraph, one would be led to believe that Jim is a great man destined for fame. From his appearance he would scare many with his great size and muscular makeup. · He was and inch, perhaps two, under six feet, powerfully built, and he advanced straight at you with a slight stoop of the shoulders, head forward, and a fixed from-under stare which made one think of a charging bull. His voice was deep, loud, and his manner displayed a kind of dogged self-assertion which had nothing aggressive in it... He was spotlessly neat, appareled in immaculate white from shoes to hat,... (Conrad 1)Jim's appearance nonetheless is obscured by a mist of darkness, which hinders his human nature (DiMauro 95). Overall, Jim's physique shows the great hero he should be, but his lack of wanting to be a hero is relevant in his true self. Jim dreamed of adventures and had a great imagination of seeking fame. However, dreaming still is not reality. As the novel opens, Jim is a trainee on
After the death of the Pilgrims, Jim was tried in court over his involvement that resulted in so many lives being lost. During his self punishment he travels from port to port to find release from his shame. This error in Jim's eyes will regret him for the rest of his life because he and the other members left eight-hundred pilgrims onboard the ship where they later drowned (Mudrick 126). He has achieved some sense of peace, but the memory of his jump is still with him"(Stapleton 586). His mind gives him and ideal self which he will thrive to live on in his imagination, wanting his imagination to become reality will be unexplored in his life. Jim gaining respect of the people still does not live up to his goals as a hero, because he still thinks nothing can make up for the incident on board the Patna. When in death for which he has died there is a true meaning of himself. Conrad: A Collection of Critical Essays. Everywhere he travels his peers remind him of his past. He, along with the other crew members, fled the Patna after many rumors of it sinking. Jim finally, after a long wait, has his turn at sea and wants to make something of himself. Still, he cannot forget his past, much less get it out of his head. "His efforts create order and well-being in a previous chaotic community and he wins the respect and affection of the people for whom he becomes Tuan- or Lord Jim. Conrad has created a character which is by far the best person he has ever written in all of his works.
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