How do Jim's failed and successful " leaps" function in the nove

There are several occasions of leaping in Lord Jim. First, there is the leap Jim is too late in taking. This failure results in lost opportunities not only for a show of courage but also for personal glory and for respect.

The second leap is the one that he ironically does take: a leap into "a deep hole" of shame and guilt. This second leap is ambiguously presented as an action or reflex. The impending event of the sinking of the steamship flooded Jim with fear. Perhaps the leap was a reflex of individual survival. Perhaps asking someone to stay behind is asking too much. Thus the situation is painted with some sympathy by Marlow. Jim, however, takes the failure too much to heart, so the leap leads him into an exile, not only from his work at sea, but also from his father, his family in England, and his own sense of self-respect.

The final leaps, however, both the figurative leap into Patusan and the literal flying leaps over the Rajah's prison wall and the creek, show a keener precision of judgment. Jim finally wins his dreams. He lives the charmed, romantic life.