Trauma, Shame and Enigma

Joseph Conrad’s novel, Lord Jim , is a helpful novel in providing reflective distance from the frantic hubbub of our times. It is well-suited for reflection on historical shifts, moral confusion, and shamelessness. Hinton analyses shame experiences ranging from the most primitive to a subjective destitution that provokes questions about the individual’s very place in the universe ( Hegel, 1977 ). Lord Jim dies having had awareness of what not to do, not pretending to know the future. Freedom stems from a hole in being that often feels shameful, even monstrous.