THE AMBIGUITY OF CHARACTER REPRESENTATION IN JOSEPH CONRAD’S NOVEL “LORD JIM”
Abstract
The duration of a character's appearance isn't always as limited as the reader would like to think. Through the use of the narrative device, Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad confuses the existence of two characters, Marlow and Jim. Because Marlow is Jim's narrator, both of their roles in the narrative are unclear. Marlow and Jim are "becoming" representations of themselves as distinct characters and as a single character; they are not yet established as such. Deconstructive insights provide the reader the chance to see Marlow and Jim “becoming” throughout the narrative. This essay examines instances of Jim and Marlow's personal presence as well as the haunting of their combined complex, Jim equal to Marlow. When Jim or Marlow are under duress, Jim or Marlow will occasionally appear in the text as Jim. But it's difficult to categorize when characters desire to become complex and when they want to remain unique. In the same manner as the Lord Jim's character presence is ambiguous, this paper is unable to draw any firm conclusions on the impact of the narrative voice. Can one personality split into two or can two personas merge into one? Characters can connect with one another and meld their personal spaces in fiction. To grasp the character associations, the reader must interact with the text. When a character interacts with other personalities in the text, the interpersonal dynamic between the characters may weaken because of the numerous ways in which they show themselves that hide their true identities. Readers cannot approach the text by isolating the characters from one another in order to allow them to interact with one another's actions. In other words, rather than already "existing," the characters have a chance to "becoming." Character behavior, attitude, or action cannot be reduced to a single adjective. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad has this appearance of cohesion amongst individuals as a central theme.
Keywords: Lord Jim, the sea, good, evil, English character, loyalty, character representation, shame, disillusionment, deconstruction, moral code, and narrative.
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