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
Marlow goes to see Stein in his study. Stein’s house is full of equipment and specimens from his time as a naturalist, most notably some butterflies. Stein was born in Bavaria and took part in a revolution in his 20s, escaping to start a new life selling cheap watches. He slowly built his business up to something more impressive, working in Asia and the Middle East.
Stein is someone who truly lived out the types of adventures that Jim himself dreams about living out. His life represents what Jim’s could have been if Jim had only had the courage to live out his fantasies.
Themes
Literary Devices
When an assassination disrupts the political situation where Stein was working, he starts life again and builds up a new fortune. At first, he goes on sea voyages, but as he ages, he falls back to managing an office of white and Chinese clerks.
Despite Stein’s thirst for adventure, he also has a pragmatic side, and he knows when to leave the front lines to take on a more managerial role in his business.
Themes
During their meeting, Stein talks with Marlow about the wonder of bugs and how nature creates masterpieces, although man himself is no masterpiece. He tells Marlow stories of his past adventures in the Middle East. Marlow then tells Stein about how he’s there to talk about a “specimen” of a sort. Stein thinks Marlow is talking about a “butterfly,” but Marlow is actually referring to Jim.
Stein’s confusion of Jim and the butterfly suggests that for Stein, Jim is not quite a fully-realized person. For Stein, Jim is a means to an end—mostly an object of curiosity to observe at a distance like a specimen. Given Jim’s avoidance of intimacy, this feature may actually be a positive for their relationship.
Themes
Literary Devices
Marlow tells Stein about Jim, and Stein grasps at once that Jim is a romantic. They talk about what a man like Jim must want out of life, how he must struggle against the realization that he might not be able to make his dreams come true. They avoid actually saying Jim’s name, talking instead about ideals without putting flesh and blood to them. Stein invites Marlow to sleep over so that they can discuss practical matters in the morning.
Jim often puts ideals above the real people in his life, so it’s an interesting reversal for Marlow and Stein to talk about Jim in the abstract. Perhaps part of the reason why Stein and Marlow don’t say Jim’s name is that Jim’s condition isn’t unique, as many romantics struggle to live up to their own lofty self-images.
Themes
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Stein says it’s both very good and very bad that Jim has such romantic tendencies. Stein talks about how, despite his successes, he still let many dreams slip away. He goes away to his room, and he and Marlow both sleep.
Perhaps the key difference between Stein and Jim is that Stein also faced many disappointments in life—but he didn’t let them define him in the same way that Jim does.
Themes
