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Similes
Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—George’s Death:
In an example of situational irony, George (one of the engineers aboard the Patna) tries to stay alive by fleeing from the damaged ship during the storm—only to die from a heart attack in the process. Marlow’s commentary on the man’s death highlights the irony of this moment:
“Weak heart. The man had been complaining of being out of sorts for some time before. Excitement. Over-exertion. Devil only knows. Ha! ha! ha! It was easy to see he did not want to die either. Droll, isn’t it? May I be shot if he hadn’t been fooled into killing himself! Fooled—neither more nor less.”
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Chapter 22
Explanation and Analysis—Jim’s “Success”:
In a subtle example of situational irony, Jim leaves his comfortable home in England in order to become a hero and find success—hoping to impress his family and community back home—only to end up finding that kind of “success” on a remote island unknown to the outside world. In other words, while Jim becomes a hero in Patusan—earning the title of “Lord Jim” in the process—this kind of success is not legible to the people back home (who, because of their colonial mindsets, look down on the residents of Southeast Asia) and also not something they would easily hear about in the first place.
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Chapter 33
Explanation and Analysis—Jewel’s Concern:
Near the end of the novel, Marlow describes a conversation he had with Jewel about whether Jim is planning to leave Patusan or not, using a simile and a metaphor in the process:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“Why did I come, then? After a slight movement [Jewel] was as still as a marble statue in the night. I tried to explain briefly: friendship, business; if I had any wish in the matter it was rather to see him stay. . . . ‘They always leave us,’ she murmured. The breath of sad wisdom from the grave which her piety wreathed with flowers seemed to pass in a faint sigh. . . . Nothing, I said, could separate Jim from her.”
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