53 pages 1 hour read

Joseph Conrad

Lord Jim

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1900

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapters 1-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1 Summary

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes mention of suicide and suicidal ideation.

The chapter begins with a description of Jim as a powerfully built man just under six feet tall, with immaculate all-white clothing, a deep voice, and slightly stooped posture reminiscent of a charging bull. Employed as a water-clerk in multiple port cities, Jim’s job is to race out in a boat to meet ships arriving in port, greet the captain and present the card of the ship-chandler employing him. Jim then guides the captain to the shop of that particular ship-chandler for all manner of ship and seamen’s supplies. Good at his job, Jim is paid well, but he nevertheless has a habit of leaving his port and employer without explanation and moving on to another. He is known simply as Jim the water-clerk.

The narrative then moves backward in time to describe Jim’s childhood. One of five sons, Jim grows up in a parsonage, but after he learns through books a love of the sea, he is sent to a training ship for merchant marine officers.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 53 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 8,500+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools