Lord Jim is one of the representative works of Conrad, an British novelist and an navigator,occupies an important position in the history of British literature. As a navigator, Conrad have a special preference to sea, and he always draw sea and marine life as his novels' creation background and theme. Lord Jim is one of his influential works. To make book report of this book, there are four essential issue have to be involved, that are:（1） the outline of the book.（2）the singular structure of the book.Analysis the hero's heroism the theme of the book-- to reveal the imperialism's false.
The outline of the book:The book tells such a story: Lord Jim ,a son from a parsonage, is a mate of Paterna. He went to the court alone and his sailing qualifications was cancelled due to abandoning the ship and overlooking his duty when a shipwreck happened. After that, in the help of Marlow captain, Jim change a lot of work. He finally settled in Patusan, an indigenous settlement whose civilization is isolated, under Marlow captain and his mate Stan's arrangement. In Patusan, Jim win the master's trust. Once, he interceded with a gang of white pirates for the master, and allowed. However, those pirates were treacherous and kill the master's son when they left. Jim was filled with grief and indignation, and he want to ask for the master's forgiveness via killing himself.
The singular structure is a important feature of Lord Jim. The story is very interesting and his climaxs is not complicated. However, Conrad did not write the story from Jim's birth to his death to follow the prescribed order. To instead of the prescribed order, Conrad divided the forty-five chapter novel into three parts, and respectively adopt different narrative method to narrate each part. The first part, which stop at the forth chapter, was written with the third person narration. From the fifth chapter to the thirty-sixth chapter, that is the second part. In this part, Conrad drew Marlow captain as the narrator to tell some people the story of Jim after meal. And he storrest chapters is the final part of the story, which is followed by Marlow address to a "privileged". The fancy structure made me confused the first time I read it, and I make its climax clear after I read the second time. However, on other than Conrad's singular structure makes the story whose climax is very simple afford for thought.
When analysis this book ,we can not overlook Jim's heroism, which makes Jim be a inconsistent person and causes Jim's tragedy. "after a course of light holiday literature his vocation for the sea had declared itself" "fhe could see the dig ships departing, the broad-beamed ferries constantly on the move,the little boats floaing far below his feet, with the hazy splendour of the sea in the distance, and the hope of a stirring life in the world of adventure. "From those words from the marine novel, we can easy know Jim's strong heroism. Thought Jim bear heroism in heart, he can not carry it out bravely. That makes him a inconsistent person. When shipwreck happened and needed him to show heroism, he was defeated by his instinctive fear and abandon the ship . However ,on taking on the accident boat, he want to swim back the sinking ship to have a look. What's more, his heroism make contributes to his tragedy. When he was rescued, his heroism prompt him to chose to be honesty, and not like the captain lied about that. Thought in deed, the captain is the biggest responsibility for the shipwreck, Jim went to the court alone to receive the adjudgement and his sailing qualifications was take off. All in all, Jim was too romantic with the fictional world of sailing hero.
From where I stand, though the book tells Jim's story, I think his aim is to reveal the false of western imperialism. As to this issue, we can analysis the false imperialism via contrast. The captain of Paterna is arrogant and noble, and proud of coming from "these abode of piety and peace ".however, when the shipwreck happened, he flee from a calamity without a flash of hesitation. Contrast to the captain, the two native niggers try their best to carry out their duty as a humble sailor. And though Jim also abandon the ship, he regret immediately when take on the accident boat, and he is honest to receive the court's adjudgement in stead of telling lies. In addition, contrast to the gang of white pirates' treachery, the master of Patusan shows his mercy to the white pirates after Jim's beg. That is a epitome of the relationship between the colonist and aboriginals. The colonist cheat adoriginals' mercy and then kill them cruelly. And Jim's self-abuse and suicide also reflect the imperialism's false.
Lord Jim is regarded as a monument on the history of British novel.the highly status is oweing to the fancy structure and narrations. Conrad expose the theme with the trifling story of Jim'. he can follow the story whose climax is very simple in a interesting way with a singular structure. It is no wonder that Lord Jim become a monument of British novel.