The novel, Lord Jim, centers on Jim, the protagonist who is a romantic dreamer. He wants make a living on the sea and become a hero. Ironically, when he is presented with an opportunity to save someone, he hesitates to jump to the sinking boat and rescue the people. After a long period of training, he becomes a part of the crew of the Patna, a ship with Muslim pilgrims. When the ship is about to sink, Jim abandons the ship and he has to live the guilt for the rest of his life. "He passes away under a cloud, inscrutable at heart, forgotten, unforgiven, and excessively romantic" (Conrad 351). This sentence shows that Jim is not forgiven for one mistake and it finally leads Jim to his end. .
Lord Jim is a novel that observes human behavior in situations that could either bring out the best in a man or the worst. For the protagonist, the brought out the worst in him and he took a step in the direction of cowardice. One can observe, the guilt of his cowardice hunts him until he dies. Joseph Conrad is making a statement with the novel that guilt is a very powerful force and it is very difficult to come over. That is the main theme of the novel. The guilt for one mistake that one makes in his life could be the one that never gives the person a moment of piece. It is not easy to forget some mistakes or cowardice actions. Jim is never able to hold on to a job after the incident with the Patna. He leaves every job where he is known well by others for he fears that the dark secret of his cowardice will be revealed and he will be forced to punish himself.
The author uses many allusions throughout the novel. "It occurred to me--don't laugh--that all things being dissimilar, she was more inscrutable in her childish ignorance than the Sphinx propounding childish riddles to wayfarers," (269-70) is making a reference to the Theban Sphinx in Oedipus the King, by Sophocles. There are also references to the works of Shakespeare.