Lord Jim Lesson Plan

Why does Marlow take such an interest in Jim?

At this point in the novel, Marlow seems fairly invested in Jim's well-being: what begins as a curious glance shared between two men in a courtroom has begun to form a substantial friendship. Remind students of Marlow's frequent refrain that Jim is "one of us." He sees a bit of himself in Jim and is able to look past his mistakes aboard the Patna to see the competent, romantic man behind his actions.

Marlow seems to have inserted himself into a mentoring role of sorts: when he talks about Jim, it's with a certain wistfulness that implies he is also reflecting on his own life as a younger man. Having been around longer, we...