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How would you justify this hypothesis, "Jim is not a fickle-minded young man but a man who is basically true to himself and who is seeking to rehabilitate himself in a world that is very much against his dreams and imagination"
Introduction
We would not remark Jim, a fickle-minded young man. Instead, he is most serious and strong. If he were of flickering temperament, he would not have been so conscious of his act of deserting 'Patna' which he considers a guilt and sin. This consistence is evident from the fact that the way he views his "jump" from 'Patna', remains the same, throughout. Never does he give himself a reason to condone his act. Jim's career, as a water-clerk, in various shipping companies often misguides several critics to make them understand Jim, as fickle-minded but these critics do not consider the point that Jim leaves his job. not due to his fickle mindedness. He is not like a rolling-stone moving without cause or destination. He cannot be ranked among those men who have the habit of changing profession, houses or partners, from time to time and for no reason.
Jim: Not a Fickle-Minded Personality
Jim is true to himself. He can not betray his conscience, and this is the cause why Jim feels so guilty after jumping from ’Patna’ and also after the death of Dain Waris in Patusan. He thinks that his blunder of reposing trust in Brown, the sea-pirate, has caused the murder of his dearest friend, Dain Waris. Indeed, it is very complex to prove whether Jim seeks to rehabilitate himself in Patusan or serve the Patusanians inspired by any ambition. Jim renders his services to the Patusanians because he wanted to make the common mass of Patusan free from the tyranny and exploitation of cruel chiefs like Sherif Ali and Rajah Allang. We examine Jim as a perfectly selfless man and this selflessness makes him a failure in life in the eyes of causal critics. If he were selfish, he would not have left his home or the civilized and sophisticated world in order to shift to Patusan, the most remote, distant and uncivilized country; he would not have surrendered himself in front of Doramin to be shot dead by him.
Jim's Selflessness
We do agree with Stein's assessment of Jim's character as one that is extremely imaginative, spiritual and obsessed with romantic dreams. His prime motive behind serving the people of Patusan, besides helping them, is also to fulfill his own romantic dreams of being a hero and deriving a sense of exaltation from it - an ambition that remained unrealized during the 'Patna' episode. He is never ambitious for any materialistic gain or for power. He never tries to seize power from anybody in Patusan. He leads a campaign against Sherif Ali and excites people to fight against Rajah Allang and Sherif Ali because these two personalities are very tyrannical, cruel and exploit people a lot. Jim is not selfish or had no personal motive for waging a war against Sherif Ali and Rajah Allang. He has selflessly rendered his valuable services to Patusanians.