A Timeless Story

I finish the novel, on the verge of a tear, and I enjoy that pleasant sensation that accompanies me when I finish a great book: the characters linger a little longer in my mind, along with the significant moments of the story.

And it occurs to me: Lord Jim is a timeless novel. There is nothing contingent about it; the story and characters could come from any era. The emotions at stake are universal: love, friendship, shame, the desire for redemption, vengeance, hatred. The style is slow without being minimalist, rich without being baroque, articulated without being complicated, elegant without being stilted. It probes the abyss of Jim's mind, but without psychologizing, without the odious and boring streams of consciousness. I sense that Jim has many mental struggles, but Conrad spares me them. He makes me glimpse the abyss, but he doesn't describe it atom by atom, in the hyperrealistic obsession that characterizes the authors of the following decade, see Musil and Joyce.

The parabola of Tuan Jim is perfect. Jim makes a huge mistake, he looks for a second chance, and he finds it. Does he redeem himself? Damn it, yes! But fate will knock on his door: the bill has to be paid. And he will pay with his head held high.

Devastating.

Sometimes I feel sorry for the nonreader. This is one of those times. Experience teaches us certain universal truths, but I firmly believe that only great art can convey frequencies of meaning and intensities of feeling. The best writers break down the barrier of distance, and we receive their wisdom directly. Reading is a cheaper and more effective form of therapy than many others. It is a theater of the mind that never stops teaching. The truest lessons are often the most disturbing, as I was after reading and rereading the last twenty pages of Lord Jim.

We often overuse the term "character study" when describing plots centered around a closely observed personality. In Lord Jim, this term is entirely appropriate. Jim's attempt to escape shame and guilt, and his search for redemption, link his character to his fate. Conrad's ambivalence about Jim makes the book rich in meaning and full of paradoxes. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand Conrad's work.

Jim is a romantic in a world of cutthroat rationalists. He is self-deceiving and vain, but he alone cannot forgive himself for a moment of weakness. Conrad's narrative style, with its remove from the source, emphasizes the theme of misunderstanding and ignorance. We are all trapped by our self-images and the expectations of others. Jim's story is a tragic one, but it also offers some hope. In his final act, he finds a kind of resolution, a sacrificial submission that is also his final defiance.

Lord Jim is not a bleak or nihilistic book. Conrad does not see Jim as a representative man, but as a pure specimen, better suited for the farm or sea than for the complex world of island governorship. He is physically strong, principled, and hardworking, but lacking in cunning. Rather than leaving him forgotten or misunderstood, we should remember him as a tragic figure, a man who tried to live up to his ideals in a world that was often too much for him.

Lord Jim is engaged from the title of a novel that is perhaps the most authentic, the most human, the most thoughtful and definitely the most complete portrait of a fictional character that I have ever read. Conrad wrote this at the same time as Heart of Darkness and it is felt (although in my opinion this is by far, far more successful work; yet, in a way they are not so much in competition as they are companions, two sides of the same coin). The strange world, dark, but also beautiful (just like Conrad's style - some sentences left me in shock). There is also the narrator Marlow who has a cameo here but with a far more important role than just a narrative gimmick. There is also the fascinating main character around whom everything swirls and surges, only where Kurtz was the definition of darkness and more in the background, Jim is... Jim. A character who is between romanticism and reality, between morality and reality, a character whom the world has forgotten. And instead of further preservation (since I really don't know what to say), I will quote a part of one page of the novel that means a lot to me, a sentence that I was as if waiting for someone to tell me, because that's what good novels do:

\\n  ’She knew him to be strong, true, wise, brave. He was all that. Certainly. He was more. He was great – invincible – and the world did not want him, it had forgotten him, it would not even know him. (...) \\"Why?\\" she murmured. (...) „Because he is not good enough.“ I said. (...) „Nobody, nobody is good enough.“‘\\n

But this novel is.

p.s. The Wordsworth edition for the poor (when I saw it in the bookstore for three hundred dinars only that I didn't fall unconscious) managed to translate a 450-page book into 250, with sadistic packaging of the text to the border of readability. I think that deserves some award.

5+

Dear friends, first of all, I must say that in my opinion, this story has an annoying point, and that is, the author, Joseph Conrad, in various parts of the story, has delved into the inner feelings and the speech of the main character of the story with his own conscience, which has lengthened the story.

Dear ones, the story is like this: A young man named Jim engages in seafaring work. During one of his voyages, the ship encounters a storm at sea, and Jim, along with several other sailors, abandons the ship and leaves the passengers alone. That very storm causes the passengers on the ship to drown, while Jim and his friends are rescued. After this bitter incident and the cowardly and despicable act that Jim commits, his conscience torments him, and he always has nightmares and feels that this matter has caused someone to be above him and in his life forever. In short, a long time passes, and finally Jim returns to the sea again, and this time, as the agent of a travel company, he travels to various cities. But this fear is always with him, lest someone who survived that incident reveals the truth about that cowardly crime and disgrace his reputation. Jim, during one of his travels, arrives at an island in the group of Algerian islands called "Malha" named "Patusan". The island is plagued by civil wars, and Jim gets acquainted with a commander of the rebels named Doramin there and fights beside Doramin against Ali, the leader of the opposition on the island, and defeats Ali. Jim shows great courage and selflessness in that war, and after that, the people call him "Lord Jim", and his life reaches a relative peace, and he also settles on the same island and marries a girl named Jewel, who is from the natives of the island.

Everything goes well until a criminal and war-hungry man named Brown enters the island and, with his tricks and warlike actions, causes the natives and the inhabitants of the island who are loyal to Jim to revolt, and thus, killing and destruction begin again on the island. During these revolts, the son of the commander Doramin is killed by the rebels. When Jim sees these bitter and tragic events, he becomes a kind of prisoner of religious superstitions and imagines that this is the very person who has been with him for years after that inhuman act with the passengers, and he decides that....................................Dear ones, it is better that you read this story yourself and learn about its ending.

I hope this review has been useful in understanding this book.

Penance is indeed useless.

If a person doesn't have a sense of guilt within them, they simply won't bother to engage in penance. It's as if they are completely oblivious to any wrongdoing on their part.

On the other hand, if someone truly feels guilty, penance alone will never be sufficient. The weight of their guilt is so heavy that no amount of penance can fully alleviate it.

Penance seems to be a rather ineffective measure in dealing with the complex emotions of guilt. It either doesn't reach those who don't feel the need for it or fails to provide true relief to those who are burdened by it.

Perhaps a more profound and sincere examination of one's actions and a genuine effort to make amends and change for the better would be a more meaningful approach than simply relying on penance.

It is my firm belief that no one fully comprehends the astute stratagems he employs to evade the dark shadow of self-knowledge.

Certainly, in no other occupation as in that of the sea, the hearts of those already immersed either to drown or to swim stretch so much towards the youth still on the shore, who looks with shining eyes at the sparkle of the vast surface, which is only a reflection of his own gaze full of fire.

This description vividly portrays the contrast between those who have already experienced the perils and challenges of the sea and the inexperienced youth. The youth's eyes, filled with hope and excitement, mirror the glimmering surface of the sea, symbolizing his dreams and aspirations. Meanwhile, those in the water, having faced the uncertainties of the ocean, long for the simplicity and innocence of the youth on the shore.

The use of such imagery and language creates a powerful and evocative scene, inviting the reader to reflect on the themes of self-discovery, experience, and the passage of time.

It would have been so much in accordance with the wisdom of life.

This wisdom essentially lies in putting out of sight all those reminders that constantly taunt us.

Reminders of our folly, which we often wish to forget.

Reminders of our weakness, which make us feel vulnerable.

Reminders of our mortality, which is an inevitable truth but one we sometimes try to ignore.

All these elements that make against our efficiency.

The memory of our failures, which can haunt us and hold us back.

The hints of our undying fears, which lurk in the shadows of our minds.

The bodies of our dead friends, a painful reminder of the losses we have endured.

By pushing these things out of our sight, we can perhaps strive to live a more efficient and fulfilling life, unburdened by the weight of these reminders.

I have always had a longing to read this book. However, 'Heart of Darkness' was an extremely dark read for me in my 20s, during my university days when I read it in conjunction with The Wasteland. It was so intense that I didn't have the courage to explore more of Conrad's works.

Interestingly, I'm actually glad I waited. Now, having gained the insights, experiences, and knowledge that come with age and a life lived in all its complexity, I was able to approach this book with a different perspective.

This was not just a story about one particular person but also about many others who were mentioned in passing. Each one of them stood out in their individuality, with their own unique stories. Whether it was Brierley, Stein, Cornelius, Jewel, or the two lashkars who remained loyal to the ship even when their superiors abandoned it.

We encounter Marlow from HOD again, who is the main narrator, but there are several points of view, each with a distinct voice. It is a human story that delves into the themes of failed ideals and ideals that are lived through, of trust and betrayal not only of others but also of oneself, of coming to know one's true self, and of the process of becoming.

The poetry inherent in Conrad's language was so captivating that I found myself reading and re-reading paragraphs and pages. I can vividly picture him standing high up on his ship, brooding, and gazing into the vast expanse of sky and water, where man is both powerful and insignificant. His thoughts are coalescing within him, and we catch glimpses of them in his writing. It truly is an unforgettable book.

Till date, I have read 74 books this year. However, the Goodreads summary states that I have read 48 books. I'm not sure how they have calculated this because I know for a fact that I finished 48 books by June. I keep a personal note to track my reading progress.

It took a while for the story to truly get going.

However, once it did, it was nothing short of absolutely amazing.

The prose was simply incredible, especially when Jim arrived in Patusan.

As Harold Bloom so aptly put it, it was "haunted by Romanticism."

The narrative was endlessly enigmatic, but in a most captivating and engaging way.

It kept the reader on the edge of their seat, constantly wondering what would happen next and what hidden meanings lay beneath the surface.

The story's ability to combine beautiful prose with an air of mystery made it a truly unforgettable read.

It left a lasting impression and made one eager to explore more of the author's works.

Overall, it was a literary gem that deserved all the praise it received.

The outlook seems rather bleak. Conrad's final book of the nineteenth century presents the certainty that we can never truly be good enough. If one is fortunate, disillusionment will follow; if less so, disaster awaits, and one's own death might even be a mercy. Ideals, civilization, values, and even love stand no chance in the face of our universal inadequacies. However, before we become overly pessimistic, the novel itself is an exercise in optimism. At least Conrad demonstrates that we can discuss these matters, even with confidence and in foreign languages such as English.

There is such magnificent vagueness in the expectations that drove each of us to sea, such a glorious indefiniteness, and such a beautiful greed for adventures that are their own and only reward! What we obtain... In no other life is the illusion further from reality - in no other is the beginning all illusion, the disenchantment swifter, and the subjection more complete (p.101).

In numerous ways, this book reminded me of Heart of Darkness, exploring the same themes but from a different perspective and using the same Marlow narrator to frame the central narrative. The Kurtz character is the central figure in this story, yet we are closer to him. Conrad expands the stream of narration style to book length, and in this edition, he added a later defense arguing that this was a realistic conceit, as there have been longer speeches in parliament, he claims. However, he doesn't seem to have definitively settled the issue by having the book recorded on wax cylinders and inventing the audio book.

The back cover records praise from Virginia Woolf, and I suppose it's not too far from stream of narrative to stream of consciousness.

The chief thing that caught my attention, at least initially, is how character-driven the book is. Conrad dreams up his Jim, places him on the page like some clockwork toy, and then observes his non-linear progression. What will happen to such a person when they realize they are not good enough? What will they do then? If they were to get a second chance, how might that occur and how might that chance play out, as long as we assume that everything that happens must be congruent with 'Jim's' character? And there we have a novel. It is quite remarkable.

For a while, I was uncomfortable with the storyline of a broken white man floating in among the 'native' population, saving them and ruling over them justly as their Lord. But Conrad wasn't comfortable with anything so straightforward either - a happy colonialist ending was not in line with his or 'Lord Jim's' character.

The downside is that Heart of Darkness is better, more compressed, distilled, and punchier. This book will inevitably pale in comparison.

Conrad is an outstanding writer for numerous reasons. His disregard for chronological narration closely mimics actual human memory. His ability to detail even minor characters with startling precision and real understanding is remarkable. His long, adjective-rich sentences that approach the ineffable often leave the reader breathless. He used his extensive experience as a merchant seaman during the height of European imperialism to offer a genuine understanding of the motives behind empire and race. His psychological insights into various human characters, motivations, emotions, and aspirations show a deep understanding of the human condition. However, it is his analysis of the human situation, specifically the meaning of life, that is of utmost importance.

Conrad's writing often has a longing to move from the specific to the general. In this novel, when Jim takes a canoe up the river to Patusan, the natural environment reflects Conrad's thinking. Jim leaves the sea, which is like struggling mankind, and faces the eternal forests, like life itself. Before his disappointment on the Patna, Jim was young and idealistic, but he had to face acute disappointment and self-recrimination. He drifted from port to port, seeking comfort but never finding it. He lacked the ability to accept the meaninglessness of his endeavors, as most people do.

Love also plays a role in the story. There is a woman in Patusan, but their romance is not light-hearted. It is overshadowed by a life's disaster. Jim's fate is both irrational and inescapable. The actions of Cornelius and Brown lead to Jim's downfall, and his decision to give himself up is a tragic one. As idealistic as humans can be, fate often precludes real contentment. Conrad's work shows the limits of human ambition and the importance of seeing beyond the trappings of race, faith, language, and nationality. It is a testament to his insight that he saw this during the height of imperialism. Critics who misunderstand his characterizations are missing the true depth of his work. Highly recommended.

\\"He was one of Us.\\"

Lord Jim

There exists an incredibly potent Force of Evil that lies dormant deep within us. It patiently awaits those unconscious instants in our lives when we might embrace its Dark Power for our own purposes. At that very moment, when we seize a random moment in our present life to take control of our lives, we instead end up destroying them. It is our Sleeping Daemon, and it endeavors to shame us through our pride.

Jim is shamed and then mercilessly haunted by that shame until he discovers release in the redemption of his own sacrifice. Just like Dostoevsky's Raskolnikov or Homer's Achilles, all three of these men lay down their lives to appease and then kill their daemon, finding release from their guilt. And for all three, their sacrifice bestows new life upon a host of sympathetic onlookers while dooming others who are less so.

Jim's shame commences when he falls asleep, dreaming on the deck of the freighter Padma, somewhere on the becalmed Indian Ocean. Just like those other two great heroes who act foolishly. Half of the time we're gone, but we don't know where. We don't know where... But the Daemon knows. He's taken you for a ride. You're suddenly burnt toast, my friend. And the only thing you can do now is to burn with a lifetime's acute awareness until that monstrous Albatross slides off, dead, from your neck. There's simply no other alternative. And Jim will indeed find redemption in a timeless moment of acute awareness, but like Achilles and Raskolnikov, he must first pay for it right down to the last precious farthing.