AP English Lit/Mr. Kirby
Name: Michael Hamilton, II
LITERARY ANALYSIS DATA SHEET
Significant biographical details about the author:
Title: Lord Jim
Author: Joseph Conrad
Date of Publication: 1900
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Polish born, but held British citizenship
Was not fluent in English until his 20s
His stories usually contained a nautical theme with
an anti-hero protagonist
Before becoming an author, he worked on several
European ships
Sources: SparkNotes, Cliff Notes, Shmoop,
Aphorisms1, Quotes.com
Information about the period (literary, historical, artistic,
philosophical, etc.): Written during the end of the
Victorian era, but when colonialism and imperialism
were still very relevant. Most primarily non-white
countries had cultures not well understood, and Conrad
hoped to fix that.
Identify the genre and specify how this work fits its
characteristics: The novel is both a psychological thriller and
an adventure story, with the struggled insight of Jim by
Marlow and spontaneity of Jim’s actions without the safety
of chronological order fulfilling the psychological aspect and
the constant action in the story fulfilling the adventure aspect.
Provide a brief synopsis (include exposition, main conflict(s), climax, resolution, and major plot points):
Marlow narrates most of story in an attempt to understand the life of the eponymous Jim, a promising young man who goes to sea as a
youth, and is eventually promoted to chief mate. Raised on popular sea literature, Jim constantly daydreams about becoming a hero, yet
he has never faced any real danger. Finally, his chance comes. He is serving aboard a vessel called the Patna, carrying Muslim pilgrims
to Mecca, when the ship strikes an underwater object and springs a leak. With a storm approaching, the crew, including Jim, abandons
her and her passengers to their fate. The Patna does not sink, however, and Jim, along with the rest of the officers, is subjected to an
official inquiry by his fellow seamen. It is at this inquiry, where Jim is stripped of his officer's certification, that he first meets Marlow.
Jim tells him his story, and Marlow helps him obtain a series of jobs. After several jobs, Stein, an expatriate trader, along with Marlow
gets Jim situated as post manager in the remote territory of Patusan. Jim is initially captured by one of the warring factions of the area,
but soon escapes and finally becomes a hero by defeating a local bandit. He falls in love with Jewel, the beautiful, half-native
stepdaughter of the previous trading post manager, a bitter man called Cornelius. Jim becomes the spiritual leader of Patusan and the
citizens trust him. One day, Gentleman Brown, a pirate, shows up in Patusan with his crew in search of provisions. A skirmish ensues,
and Brown holes up atop a hill. Cornelius, annoyed by Jim's success and his own failures, secretly meets with Brown and a conspiracy,
including a dissenting Patusan faction, is formed against Jim. Jim, unaware of the plot, agrees to let Brown leave the area peacefully.
Cornelius guides Brown down an alternate river channel, which leads him to the camp of Dain Waris, the son of Jim's closest ally,
Doramin. Brown and his men ambush the camp, killing Dain Waris. Jim, realizing that he has still not been able to escape his initial
failure aboard the Patna, ignores Jewel's pleas and goes to Doramin's compound, where the grieving father shoots and kills him.
Literary Analysis Data Sheet
page 2
Identify and explain the use and effect of three literary
techniques:
1. Symbolism, with several symbols reflecting
chaos and fate being truer than order, like
Brierly’s watch.
2.
3.
Aphorisms, with several throughout the story
being used to lighten up the mood.
Diction, with Conrad’s powerful language used
to express the story to its maximum.
Cite and quote one example of each:
1.
“There's a funny thing. I don't like to touch it.' It was Captain
Brierly's gold chronometer watch carefully hung under the
rail by its chain 'As soon as my eyes fell on it something
struck me, and I knew, sir. My legs got soft under me. It was
as if I had seen him go over; and I could tell how far behind
he was left too.' (6.7-8, Shmoop)”
2.
“There are as many shipwrecks as there are men!”
(Aphorisms1)
3.
“Vanity plays lurid tricks with our memory, and the truth of
every passion wants some pretence to make it live.”
(Quotes.com)
Significant Quotes
Cite and quote three significant passages:
1.
2.
3.
"They were the best parts of life,
its secret truth, its hidden reality.
They had a gorgeous virility, the
charm of vagueness, they passed
before him with a heroic tread…”
(3.4, Shmoop)
“Marlow's body, extended at rest in
the seat, would become very still,
as though his spirit had winged its
way back into the lapse of time and
were speaking through his lips
from the past.” (4.11, Shmoop)
"Everything had betrayed him! He
had been tricked into that sort of
high-minded resignation which
prevented him lifting as much as
his little finger...." (8.15, Shmoop)
Explain the significance of each passage or explain how it relates to
the work as a whole:
1.
We glimpse into Jim’s mind where he imagines himself as a
sort of hero, and sets up the novel’s themes of imagination
being a powerful foe of reality and manliness being earned.
2.
Marlow is being introduced as a captivating narrator, with his
ease of recollection demonstrating his power to bring the past
to life.
3.
Here is a quote from Marlow’s recollection of the Patna
incident, where Marlow assumes that Jim himself was
responsible for the lack of action Jim did. Marlow implies that
Jim is his own enemy, and his imagination is the accomplice
that wrecks his chance at heroism.
Literary Analysis Data Sheet
page 3
Characters
Record information for each significant major character in the work
Name
Role in the story
Significance or Purpose
Adjectives
Marlow
The narrator, and
transcriber of Jim’s
story
A friend of Jim’s and one who
controls the flow of the narration, the
main reason Jim’s story is told.
Suspenseful, amazed,
fearful
Jim
The protagonist for the
story
To provide a protagonist for the story
Haunted, brave
Jewel
Love interest for Jim
and consciousness for
Jim
Act as a wise person to consult and to
provide a contrast to the recklessness of
Jim
Beautiful, cautious
Stein
Moves Jim to Patusan
To introduce Marlow to Jim and move
Jim to Patusan
Caring, responsible
Cornelius
Original protector and
father of Jewel,
antagonist
To show the existence of evil in the
world and provide an enemy for Jim
Jealous, crafty, evil
Doramin
Savior and killer of Jim
To remind Jim that responsibility
matters
Vengeful, kind,
aggressive
Gentleman Brown
Secondary antagonist
and catalyst
Acts as a catalyst for Jim’s death and a
reminder of the past; a man who
represents what Jim could be
Romantic, immoral,
free
Literary Analysis Data Sheet
page 4
Describe the setting(s) and explain its/their significance:
Identify and explain the theme(s) of the work:
Lord Jim is set in the late 1800s in the Eastern country of
Patusan. The time of the novel’s authoring was when
imperialism was at its peak and most non-white countries
were seen as exotic, with Conrad basing Patusan off of his
various trips to the East.
Men and Manliness- Jim is raised on the stories of
sailors being heroic, Jim convinces himself that a
man should be brave after the Patna incident, Jim
being an inadequate man until he takes charge in
Patusan, men are given positions of power and
feeling threatened when their power clashes with
another man’s power (instances being Cornelius
being jealous of Jim, Gentleman Brown invading
Patusan).
Identify and explain key metaphors, symbols, or motifs:
Imagination, especially imagination related to fear, is a
constant motif in the novel. Jim imagines all outcomes of
the Patna incident and rejoices in his lack of responsibility
for not having to face the terrible things supposedly
happening on the boat. But Jim’s daydreaming of heroism
and his eventual fulfillment of being a hero is also linked
to imagination.
Water, with Conrad being a sailor, takes on a variety of
portrayals within the novel. The sea is seen a creature that
dies when it settles down and comes roaring back to life
when the waters get choppy. Water is essential for life as
well, with one of Jim’s odd jobs being supplying ships
with water before they voyage.
Guilt- Marlow is guilty over practically calling Jim a
wimp before Jim goes to Patsuan. Jim is constantly
haunted by not attempting to save passengers on the
Patna.
Choices- The choices one makes are important and
permanent; Jim’s failure to take action on the Patna
causes him to lose his job, Jim bargains with
Gentleman Brown to retreat instead of killing Brown
and allows Doramin’s son to die, Jim choses to send
himself to Doramin as a sacrifice to atone for his
mistakes.
Darkness is another common theme running throughout
the novel, with many important plot points occurring in the
dark. The Patna sinks in the night time, Marlow recounts a
majority of Jim’s story in the night time, Jim’s adventuring
in Patusan takes place in the night, Jim’s confession of his
poor conduct to Marlow happens in the dark.
Write at least three questions or topics for class discussion:
Does Jim’s past always catch up to him?
Brashness leading to failure always being true.
Why are the protagonists of most pre-modern stories men?
Is Marlow’s non-chronological story telling more effective than it would be if it was chronological?