Postcolonial Interpretation of Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

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Postcolonial Interpretation of Lord Jim By Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad’s novel Jim Lord outlines the story of a passenger ship abandoned to sink together with the passengers. Among the crew members that left the shop to sink is Jim. The ship is rescued by the navy and brought to shore with the passengers alive. Jim is censored for his actions. The novel revolves around his actions as he tries to come to terms with his past and himself. Various actions represented in the novel depict postcolonialism. The analysis of postcolonialism will include the ways of rethinking the history of those under imperialism. A postcolonial interpretation of Conrad’s novel Lord Jim will focus on his civilizing mission, heroic adventure, and Marlow's belief in altruism and equality.
The main postcolonial interpretation of the novel is the civilizing mission depicted by Marlow and Jim. The civilizing mission attempts to create a world free from corruption, fraud, and other actions against humanity. Marlow, referring to Jim, says that “He came from the right place, he was one of us” (Conrad, 1996, p. 27). This indicates that Jim is one of the people brought up in an honorable way and taught the need to acknowledge honor. After Jim and his crew members abandoned a ship to sink, he feels the need to be accountable for his actions. The other crew members have run away because they know that their actions are against seamen rules, and their certificates would be revoked. However, Jim is dedicated to upholding the culture he has been brought up in by appearing in court. Marlow says that Jim is one of them because his action of attending the court hearing indicates that he acknowledges his wrongdoing. In the second part of the novel, Jim spends most of his time upholding the culture of honesty and fairness in society. After being taken to a remote village, he ensures that he has brought change by freeing the villagers from the hands of corrupt leaders. The act of a civilizing mission is an indication of a postcolonial act where a few members of society are willing to rethink imperialism's history.
Conrad uses the character of Marlow to show the importance of equality as a postcolonial trait among people. Marlow understands and practices the aspects of altruism and equality. While talking about Darin, he says, “Beloved, trusted ...