Lord Jim Principles Quotes Page 1
(Chapter.Paragraph)
| Quote #1 He was gentlemanly, steady, tractable, with a thorough knowledge of his duties; and in time, when yet very young, he became chief mate of a fine ship, without ever having been tested by those events of the sea that show in the light of day the inner worth of a man [...] (2.1) |
From the get-go, Jim sounds like a good guy. He has all the qualities you'd want in a strapping young sailor. But those qualities don't mean anything until they're tested, do they?
| Quote #2 "I would have trusted the deck to that youngster on the strength of a single glance, and gone to sleep with both eyes – and, by Jove! it wouldn't have been safe. There are depths of horror in the thought. He looked as genuine as a new sovereign, but there was some infernal alloy in his metal." (5.11) |
Marlow's horror at this scenario reveals his real issue with Jim's behavior. Marlow would have trusted Jim based on his looks alone, but that would have been a very bad idea indeed. Jim may look like a gentleman, but aboard the Patna, he sure didn't act like one.
| Quote #3 "In his letter to the owners – it was left open for me to see – he said that he had always done his duty by them – up to that moment – and even now he was not betraying their confidence, since he was leaving the ship to as competent a seaman as could be found [...]" (6.8) |
How telling, that Brierly tries to be dutiful even in his suicide. And how sad.
