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
During the period of time when Jim lives with Cornelius, Jim instantly sympathizes with Jewel for having to endure the mean things Cornelius does to her. Cornelius screams at Jewel and demands that she call him father and respect him, while saying bad things about her dead mother. Jim feels that he must intervene and that he can’t leave Cornelius’s house without first doing something to help Jewel.
Cornelius seems to resent Jewel just for existing, but yet he still demands that she show him respect. This provides an interesting parallel to Jim, who doesn’t harass people but who nevertheless craves respect from people that he himself doesn’t care about.
Themes
Meanwhile, Doramin keeps sending a servant to visit Jim and tell him that Doramin can’t protect him unless he goes back to Doramin’s place. One night, Cornelius himself even offers to smuggle Jim out of the country, and he tries to scare Jim about the dangers of staying. Jim refuses, which enrages Cornelius. That night, Jim gets his plan for how to use the cannons to take Sherif Ali’s camp. He excitedly tells Jewel about his plan; Jewel approves.
Jim’s newfound ability to stick up for himself coincides with his epiphany about a plan to take down Sherif Ali. Although Jim is proud of himself for refusing to run, he still acts without thinking through the consequences.
Themes
