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Chapter 3
Themes
and Colors
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
A month after the events of the previous chapter, Jim gives testimony in a police court about how the Patna went over whatever it hit very easily. It’s a bright day outside the courtroom. Jim goes on to tell the court how, after the Patna ran over whatever it hit, he says he did not expect damage and was ordered by his captain not to tell others and potentially cause a panic. As he inspected the ship, however, he heard splashing in the forepeak and found evidence of a big hole.
This novel frequently skips around in time and uses experimental narrative techniques. While stories have been told out of chronological order since ancient times, Conrad took these time jumps to a new level, as did many other writers who were part of the late-19th- and early-20th-century literary movement known as modernism.
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Literary Devices
Still in court, Jim describes reporting the issue to his captain, delivering his testimony as carefully and accurately as possible. The skipper confirmed that the damage was serious then angrily started bossing and pushing people around. But the courtroom is uncomfortably hot, and he struggles to tell the events as he wants to.
Jim struggles to tell his story because he wants to tell a version that will paint himself in the best light, but as he tells the events, he realizes that there’s no way to make himself look like a hero while still staying true to what actually happened.
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There’s a mix of races of people in the crowd, but Jim happens to notice a white man who is sitting apart from the others and watching everything with interest. Jim feels like he’s seen this white man before, although he’s sure he’s never spoken with him. It turns out the man is named Marlow. Marlow will remember this encounter with Jim for a long time.
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