Joseph Conrad's novels are never fun to read; in fact they are downright grueling. This one is especially so. It took me over two weeks to finish; at least four times longer than it should have. But the reward comes at the end when you take a deep breath and realize how profoundly affected you have been by the people and events portrayed in the narrative. And that's why Conrad is one of my very top favorite authors, and recognized as one of the greatest authors in the English language.
    Perhaps no other writer whose numerous works I have read is able to delve deeper into the human psyche, except maybe Dostoyevsky. But that author was more focused on aberrations due to alcohol or gambling addictions, or mental/psychological illness, no doubt a reflection of his own life and struggles with all of the above in addition to epilepsy.
    Conrad, on the other hand, spent a good part of his life in the shipping industry, and when he left it to write, he had quite a collection of memories stored away from his own experiences and situations he encountered—certainly enough to fill volumes of books.
    His novels revolve more around the seeking of self-identity and moral issues, especially those in which a critical choice must be made, and when the wrong choice is made, the chooser must bear the tragic consequences. In addition, Conrad's characters, or at least the main one, carry a sense of mystery about them: they are an enigma, a code which cannot be cracked. And so the novel ends leaving the reader with a sense of personal responsibility to ultimately make their own judgment call on the character's inner motives. Moral or evil? Strong or weak? Sincere or disingenuous? Courageous or cowardly? In the case of Jim, he himself is not able to understand the inner workings of his own motives, and we watch him struggle to find the truth. And we struggle along with him. In the end, neither he nor we know for sure.
    One of the other difficulties in reading Conrad's writing is that his style is so intense and complex. In this case, most of it is being narrated by Captain Marlow (who was also the narrator in several of Conrad's other works). But in the course of that narration, there are others who have told Marlow parts of Jim's story, so it comes to us in bits and pieces from different perspectives. We never really encounter "Jim" himself, except at the very beginning.
    We meet him as he has left his loving family at the parsonage in England to enter a life at sea. He envisions himself as strong and brave—and heroic, and longs for the day when he can prove those qualities to the world. After two years of training, he secures a position on a fine ship as chief mate, goes to sea and is disabled by a falling spar (an accident of which Conrad himself suffered). He must temporarily leave the ship to recover at a hospital in an Eastern port.
    When he finally recovers, he becomes chief mate on an ancient and decrepit steamer, the Patna, which is transporting a large number of Muslims for a holy pilgrimage. The captain is a big fat German, a shady bastard with no sense of morals or goodness. But Jim still lives in this fantasy of bravery and heroism, which he yearns to prove. He sees himself as one who is fearless and can conquer whatever circumstances present themselves. He is young. He is a gentleman. But he has never experienced an emergency at sea.
    Until one evening when Jim is on the bridge enjoying the usual peace and security of the water. Suddenly, the Patna jolts, then continues on the calm sea. Jim is ordered to investigate quietly for fear of creating panic among the passengers.
    It is at this point that the narration of the story changes. Jim is on trial at an Eastern port, and Captain Marlow is there staying at the Malabar Hotel. He attends the official Inquiry, and it is here that he becomes fascinated with this young man, whom he always refers to as "one of us."
    When the truth is known that the Patna, in her rotting state, has hit something and is rapidly taking in water, the captain and crew panic. There are not nearly enough boats to save all the passengers, so they opt to save themselves. One dies of a heart attack, unknown to the captain and two others, already in the boat, who keep calling for him to jump. But then Jim makes the worst decision of his life. He jumps instead, to the anger of the others three in the boat who didn't even want him. They are rescued by a French ship, and when ashore, the captain and the other two bolt, leaving Jim to bear the burden of guilt and punishment upon himself, which he does. And to make matters worse, not only did he commit dereliction of duty, but he missed his opportunity to be the hero of which he dreamed. Because the Patna does not sink. She is rescued, and all her passengers survive.
    Ultimately, Jim is stripped of his certification, but the real punishment takes place within. Marlow continues to chop through Jim's tough shell. For whatever reason, he truly cares about this young man and the tragic and life-altering choice he made in a moment of confusion. But Jim has already buried his guilt and shame in a secret place within himself, where he can be a perpetual victim to its stinging pain.
    Eventually, however, he realizes Marlow is his friend and he has moments of emotional explosions, when he attempts to express his ordeal. Marlow, who is a seasoned sailor twenty-five years Jim's senior, has friends everywhere and secures him a position as a water-clerk.
    Jim is a good and loyal worker, but when a crew member of the Patna suddenly discovers him in his new job, Jim bolts leaving his employer livid. This scenario plays out numerous times until Marlow meets with his old friend, Stein, a wealthy merchant of many years, with a heart of gold and a prized collection of butterflies. He believes he has a possible solution to Jim's problem, as a replacement to head his trading post at Patusan. (This is a fictional place in Indonesia, with a Malay/Bugis population). Plus, Jim is guaranteed to disappear from the eyes of the rest of the world. It is a second chance for him to become a hero and redeem himself. He jumps at the opportunity.
    After a couple years, Marlow visits him there, and Jim tells of his entrance into this world. Though it had nearly gotten him killed, he triumphs in his rise as "Tuan" Jim, or Lord Jim, by freeing Doramin (Stein's friend) and his Bugis clan from the persecution of the Malay chief, Rajah Tunku Allang. He becomes the hero, but this time, it is not for the world to admire. His responsibility to these people becomes an act of love, (though he doesn't quite understand that emotion), which he faces with utmost seriousness. But tragedy still awaits him, through no fault of his own.
    Joseph Conrad's works are not for everyone. But if you are a serious reader of fine literature, I cannot recommend this work highly enough, (along with Conrad's other soul-probing novels). This one is considered by many to be his masterpiece.

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