Vocabulary in Lord Jim

A slight forward bend of the shoulders and head while walking or standing, giving the impression of leaning into something rather than standing fully upright.

A person stranded alone after a shipwreck, left to survive without rescue on a deserted shore or reef far from civilization.

Rocky ridges or coral formations that lie just at or below the sea's surface and become exposed at low tide, making them dangerous to ships and difficult to walk on.

Descended suddenly and with great force, used here of a violent storm that struck the ship without warning, as a bird of prey drops on its target.

A sudden, violent burst of wind and often rain at sea, arriving quickly and with little warning, capable of sweeping a ship's deck clear in moments.

A loud, chaotic, and overwhelming commotion — here the wild, crashing disorder of a storm at sea that catches Jim off guard.

Without warning or preparation; caught by surprise before one has had any chance to react or defend oneself.

Softly glowing with a steady, calm light — here describing the flat, shining surface of the sea at night as the Patna crosses it.

A vertical partition wall inside a ship's hull that divides it into separate watertight compartments and helps keep the vessel afloat if part of the hull is breached.

In perfect condition, completely undamaged and structurally solid — an idiom meaning something is entirely intact and functioning without any flaw.

Here used in a specific moral sense: the sudden, real-life crisis that demands immediate courageous action — the very test Jim's romantic daydreams had never prepared him to face.

A formal official investigation — here a maritime court hearing convened to examine the facts of the Patna abandonment and decide whether the officers acted properly.

The social and moral heritage passed down from one's family and community — here meaning the whole tradition of decent, ordinary, honest people Jim represents and must answer to.

A deep, inborn impulse that drives behaviour without conscious thought — here the natural, unlearned drive toward courage that defines the moral character of Jim's people.

Real and concrete enough to be physically touched or directly observed — here contrasted with the inner, invisible moral truth the court cannot reach through evidence alone.

Dramatic, showy displays of bravery or grand speeches about one's own courage — behaviour that performs heroism rather than quietly living it.

Impossible to avoid or escape; certain to appear or happen no matter what one does — here suggesting Jim's shameful past follows him like something fated.

A German phrase meaning 'isn't that so?' or 'right?' — used by Stein as a conversational tag to invite agreement while making a philosophical point.

To try hard to do something, especially something difficult — here describing the misguided effort of inexperienced people who struggle against the conditions of life rather than working within them.

A raised base or platform on which a statue stands — used figuratively here to describe Jim's elevated, almost mythic status among the people of Patusan who look up to him.

Continuing without fading or changing — here describing a youthfulness in Jim that never seems to age or wear away, making him appear permanently young and ideal.

Here used in its older sense of 'age-old' or 'of many centuries' — describing a deep, ancient gloom in the forest that has existed for so long it feels timeless.

The habit of saying little, keeping one's thoughts and feelings to oneself rather than expressing them openly — here presented not as weakness but as a dignified, principled restraint.

Belonging to a person's fundamental nature or character, as if built into their very make-up — here meaning Jim's quietness is not a mood but a deep, permanent part of who he is.

Halting, broken attempts at speech in which words come out with difficulty — here used to show that Jim's inarticulate struggle to express himself carries its own kind of moral weight.