Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Lord Jim, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Fantasy vs. Reality
Justice and Duty
Racism and Colonialism
Truth and Perspective
Summary
Analysis
The morning after Marlow’s dinner with Jim at the hotel, he goes back to his own ship to check on his mate, who is generally good at his job but gets jealous at the slightest sign of potential infidelity from his wife. Jim, however, is unmarried, and Marlow turns back to thinking about him. He heads to court to witness the proceedings again, even though he doesn’t expect to be impressed or learn anything.
Marriage will play an important role later in the story. Jim’s status as a bachelor reflects his lack of attachments to the world and allows him to live the traveling life of a sailor—at least before the Patna incident.
Themes
Marlow imagines what Jim’s punishment might be and imagines that he might be executed. The people involved in the assault case happening at same time are at court, too. Marlow feels that Jim’s inquiry is so cold that it might lead to a fate worse than death.
While the alleged impartiality of the legal process might seem like a good thing, ensuring that justice is served, Marlow notes how this efficiency can also result in coldness—a lack of empathy.
Themes
In the inquiry, the court begins to give its judgment. They rule that the Patna wasn’t seaworthy for the voyage, and then they surprise Marlow by saying that up until the ship’s mysterious accident, it had been navigated with proper consideration. Finally, they conclude that because the skipper, the two engineers, and Jim abandoned their duty while at sea, they all have their certifications stripped away from them. Marlow tries to talk to Jim afterward, but Jim avoids him.
Perhaps impressed by Jim’s testimony, the court hands him a lighter sentence than it could have. Still, it certainly helps that Jim is a white European from a respectable family. While Jim’s privilege helps him avoid more serious penalties, the lightness of Jim’s sentence will paradoxically become its own burden for Jim, making him feel as if he hasn’t properly atoned for his bad deeds.
Themes
A deep-voiced West Australian man named Chester approaches Marlow after the trial. He says it looks like Jim is taking the judgment hard. Chester says this is a bad idea, and it’s better for a man to grow thick skin. Chester is trying to purchase a steamer because he has supposedly discovered a guano island that is dangerous to approach but potentially a goldmine. Marlow is offended that Chester wants him to be part of this scheme, but Chester replies that he doesn’t want Marlow. He has, however, heard that Marlow recently had dinner with Jim.
Guano is excrement from birds or bats. While it might not sound exciting, it used to be (and to some extent, still is) highly valuable for its use as a fertilizer. But while guano’s value was real, Chester’s excitement over an island full of bat droppings borders on comical and satirizes colonizers' limitless urge to extract resources from other lands.
Themes
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Chester wants Jim to oversee his guano island, where he will “dump” forty Asian workers for Jim to manage. Marlow imagines Jim standing up to his knees in guano with birds squawking around him. He tells Chester he wouldn’t offer that job to his worst enemy. Chester pleads, but Marlow refuses to help him. Chester sulks, saying he was only trying to do Jim a favor, and he and Marlow part on bad terms.
Chester’s casual disregard for the Asian workers suggests that he is racist. While critics debate to what extent Conrad’s own writing may have been influenced by his own prejudices, it's clear that characters like Chester are meant to draw attention to portray the racism of colonialism in a negative light.
Themes
Literary Devices
