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Chapter 38
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Lord Jim, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Fantasy vs. Reality
Justice and Duty
Racism and Colonialism
Truth and Perspective
Summary
Analysis
Marlow continues his letter, noting how Brown’s arrival that night is significant to Jim’s story. At the time of Brown’s arrival, Jim is actually away from interior Patusan, and so Dain Waris leads the initial attack on Brown’s crew. Some of the Malays are injured in the skirmish and are being tended to in the lower part of town, where Jewel oversees things. The Bugis agree that rather than trying to fight Brown’s men directly, they’ll wait for them to either try to retake their boat or to starve in the woods. Some Bugis, however, worry about why Rajah Allang’s boats didn’t attack.
Jim’s physical absence from Patusan during Brown’s arrival leaves a power vacuum. It shows that perhaps the people of Patusan have put a little too much faith in Jim, to the point where they can’t function without him (even though a lot of Jim’s power is symbolic). The hesitance of the Bugis to take decisive action against Brown suggests that perhaps Jim has taught them his ways a little too well—he, too, hesitates in moments of crisis.
Themes
Without Jim, the villagers are indecisive. Doramin makes a rare journey down to the village, but he is aging and doesn’t speak much. At the same time, Dain Waris doesn’t want to offer his opinion in the presence of his father. They send several messengers out to find Jim, whose precise location is unknown. A messenger from Rajah Allang named Kassim takes Cornelius back with him to the Rajah. His plan is to use Cornelius as an interpreter to contact Brown.
This passage further explores the power vacuum in Patusan without Jim around. The lack of a decision has no particular source—it is a combination of factors, including Doramin’s age, Dain Waris’s deference to his father, and the general confusion about Rajah Allang’s real intentions.
Themes
Brown’s men hear a voice in English asking them for permission to approach. It’s Cornelius. He reveals himself as a white man and eventually goes over to talk with Brown about the state of things in Patusan. Brown sees possibilities but demands a show of good faith in the form of food. Cornelius goes back to Rajah Allang, and then some of the Rajah’s men come back with a small supply of food.
Based on what’s already been revealed about him, it seems clear that Cornelius is up to no good with Brown. While Brown represents a threat to the people of Patusan, for some, he also offers an opportunity.
Themes
Kassim hopes that Brown and his men will be able to defeat the Bugis before Jim gets back—he figures that Brown is less likely to stay and try to control Jim. Brown, however, gets greedier as he hears from the Malays. Instead of stealing food, he wants to steal all of Patusan, figuring that if Jim did it alone, he could just as easily do it himself. Bargaining between Brown and Rajah Allang is tense, with Brown bluffing about how well-armed his big schooner is.
Like Cornelius, Kassim also sees the opportunity to profit off Brown’s unexpected arrival. Brown’s greed and increasing desire to dominate Patusan represents not just his own personal failings but also the broader greed among European eager to extract resources from foreign lands.
Themes
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Kassim is anxious for Brown to order his big schooner to come down the river and offers to send a messenger. Brown agrees, but on the message, he simply writes that he’s in the middle of a job and that the two remaining crew members on the schooner should detain the messenger. They get the message and do so.
While Kassim thinks he is being clever, Brown is in fact tricking him. Brown’s quick thinking in this situation foreshadows how he will create problems for Jim when he finally comes back.
Themes
