The Secret Sharer
Courage to
Confront and Let Go:
An Examination of “The Secret Sharer”
By Susan J. Fleck. September, 2001.
| "The artist appeals to that part of our being which is not dependent on Wisdom . . . [sic] He speaks to our capacity for delight and wonder, to that sense of mystery surrounding our lives; to our sense of pity, and beauty, and pain." Joseph Conrad (qtd. in "Glencoe," 13). |
One experiences much beauty and pleasure intertwined in Joseph Conrad’s “The Secret Sharer.” However, this story has much more meaning than simply art for art’s sake. With its clear plot structure and use of situations from common life, i.e. the common life of seamen, Conrad met Aristotle’s and Wordworth’s ideal for dramatic art, as described by Dacely Garcia and Anissa Barton-Thomas (6). However, Conrad’s art aimed at more than merely creating stories with good plots and presenting moral truths. His approach included frequent use of symbolism as indicated in his response to someone who asked about the meaning of one of his stories:
| A work of art is very seldom limited to one exclusive meaning and not necessarily tending to a definite conclusion. And this for the reason that the nearer it approaches art, the more it acquires a symbolic character. (“Glencoe” 13) |
“The Secret Sharer” is indeed full of suspense and is rich in symbolism. This essay will explain how this reader interprets these aspects of this story: how Conrad brings elements from his own life’s story to bear upon the narrative; from what point of view he tells the story; what the major themes are and how Conrad uses symbology and metaphor to advance those themes; why his use of psychological drama induces the reader’s sympathy for a “right” ending to the plot; and the moral Truth about Courage that Conrad discloses through the narrative of the captain’s personal journey.
Joseph Conrad: Background
Conrad’s background was instrumental in telling this story. Having lost both of his parents at a young age heightened his ability to create a profound sense of loneliness in the captain. Conrad spent many years as a seaman in various positions, including that of a captain (“Glencoe” 13). Marvin Mudrick claims: “Conrad never tired of denying indignantly that he was a writer of sea-tales [. . .]. Yet those of his works which most successfully challenge the nullifying blast of his temperament are tales of the sea, or of distant coasts and places [. . .]” (Introduction 3). The captain’s double, Leggatt, attended the same school as he did, establishing a similar background and a semblance of class structure within the story: this is perhaps a footnote to the fact that Conrad was born into an upper class in society.
Conrad’s literary style is all the more remarkable considering that English was his third language. By using the “I” as protagonist point of view, as Norman Friedman would point out, Conrad has limited the narrator to the protagonist’s own thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. Therefore, “the angle of view is that of the fixed center” (26). Contrasting to Hemmingway’s penchant for immediate scene details (Friedman, 26), Conrad gives us general background information about the setting and characters whereby the attitude of the narrator dominates. This narrator-subjective viewpoint is not only effective; it is an essential part of the whole. For a reader to relate to the captain’s plight, the reader must be let into the captain’s mind. It would not be convincing for the author-as-narrator to speculate regarding what the captain was thinking and feeling: the question “how would he know?” would always get in the way. Since there was no other witness in this plot, Conrad could not have chosen a witness narrator.
Narrator's Credentials
Conrad establishes the credentials of his narrator by providing both objective and subjective information about him. Since he was appointed the captain of the ship, one infers that he had these qualities: he was intelligent, he had good observatory skills, he had leadership qualities, and he was an experienced seaman. However, his shortcomings, or frailties, are discovered quickly in the opening scenes. He feels alone and estranged from his shipmates and from the ship. He is full of self-doubt about measuring up to his ideal of this new command position: he second-guesses all of his manners, actions and commands. This sets the stage for the psychological journey of discovery the captain was about to embark upon.
Conrad switches from “I” as protagonist, to “I” as witness when he describes Leggatt’s actions. This is an interesting dilemma, since the captain regards Leggatt as his double. The way in which Conrad turns the “I” as witness into a seemingly “I” as protagonist, or co-protagonist, is masterful. Since the captain bonded so thoroughly with Leggatt, Conrad provides the reader with much empathy for this darker-side character, as if he really is entwined in the captain’s own character. We forget about Leggatt’s unseemly nature and apparent ungratefulness toward all that the captain did for Leggatt by putting his own life and career in peril. We begin to root for a successful ending, and thus for a new beginning, for both Leggatt and the captain.
Other Main Characters
From a psychological viewpoint, whereas Leggatt represents the captain’s darker self, I posit the following representations for the other main characters: The chief mate represents one’s conscience, taking everything under “earnest consideration.” One’s conscience can be such a pest and unlikable thing! The steward represents one’s sense of duty, of having and doing everything just right. He presents the greatest threat of Leggatt’s discovery. The second mate is the only one younger than the captain and scorns the captain in a manner like those of a younger generation who have little respect for their elders. The skipper represents Immanuel Kant’s moral barometer of the Categorical Imperative indicating that everyone should want to turn Leggatt over to the “law.”
Duality Theme
Although these other characters play an important role, the plot centers on the captain and his twin self. Duality is a major theme throughout this story and this reinforces the main theme regarding coming to terms with the dual nature within each of our selves. Conrad uses symbology and metaphor to represent dual opposites. For example, the captain points out how land represents turmoil while there is peace and beauty in the sea. However, in this story, this is the sea of life and the captain knows that any journey at sea can be fraught with peril. This is a homeward journey, symbolic of coming home, verses going out into the world. In an opening scene the captain describes the calm (“[. . .] in a blue sea that itself looked solid, so still and stable did it lie below my feet [. . .]” [Conrad 17]) before the storm of dramatic events about to take place and about to tear into his stability.
In another duality example, Leggatt first appeared to the captain as a headless corpse immersed “in a greenish cadaverous glow,” and in sea lightning he appeared “ghastly, silvery, fishlike” (Conrad 23). This would suggest that the captain thought this was a subhuman, subrational, creature, symbolic of the animal side of our nature. Leggatt was naked (a bare essence) and the captain gave him sleeping clothes, matching what he was wearing himself. Instead of using daytime clothing, Conrad creates an even more dreamlike quality to Leggatt’s character and to the captain’s experiences regarding his relationship to Leggatt.
Mudrick contends that the double plot is Conrad’s innovation, or, if not innovation, the technique that he exploited thoroughly:
| [. . .] neither allegory (where surface is something teasing, to be got through), nor catch-all symbolism (where every knowing particular signifies some universal or other), but a developing order of actions so lucidly symbolic of a developing state of spirit- from moment to moment, so morally identifiable- as to suggest the conditions of allegory without forfeiting or even subordinating the realistic “superficial” claim of the actions and their actors. (“Originality” 38) |
Captain of Soul
I do not know who first stated “I am the Captain of my Soul,” but it is significant that the protagonist narrator is a nameless captain. In the beginning of the story, the captain is a stranger to the ship, his shipmates and to himself. He must go through a journey of discovery to truly become the captain of his own soul. Conrad has him do this through the encounter with Leggatt, the only “other” to whom the captain can relate. Is this strong feeling of affinity for Leggatt the reason why he does not do the “right,” captainly thing and expose this “bad” character? Leggatt does and says nothing to show any gratitude. Why does the captain continue to help him? These are the obvious questions one would ask.
In applying Socrates’ dictum to "know thyself," the captain looks long and deep into a “somber and immense mirror,” seeing the reflection of his double – Leggatt. The captain’s ambivalence toward his double is emphasized when, in the same sentence, he states: “He was not a bit like me, really; yet, [. . .] anybody bold enough to open it [the door] stealthily would have been treated to the uncanny sight of a double captain [. . .]” (Conrad 29). The captain recognized that there were striking differences between him and Leggatt. It was as though the captain was looking in a three way mirror, with the head on portion reflecting back the similarities between he and his double; one side reflecting back the disparities by showing how the captain’s outward persona-mask appeared to himself; and the third side reflecting back the incongruities with the previously hidden, negative, dark qualities of his double. From the beginning of his encounter, the captain identifies so strongly with Leggatt that there was never an impulse to disclose his twin to his shipmates or to the skipper of the Sephora.
Symbology
We should have been forewarned about the dangers Leggatt would present. Brittany Nelson explains the significance of the scorpion which caused the chief mate such consternation. The scorpion symbolizes the future intrusion of Leggatt on the ship: It can be said of both of them that “they are dangerous, they come from places that are far removed from the boat, and they hide in cabins” (Nelson). Conrad exposes the kind of schemes we create to hide our secrets and our vices. The rationalizations, etc., are reflected in the captain’s constant worrying about possible discovery.
The captain expressed how he should have sympathized with the skipper who has denounced Leggatt, but he was not able to detach his “mental vision from the unsuspected sharer [. . .]” (Conrad 39). But there was another, more fundamental reason for the captain’s lack of sympathy for the skipper. He has distain for the skipper’s “obscure tenacity” regarding the need to give Leggatt over to the “law.” This attitude seemed incomprehensible and mystical to the captain: it was beyond the mere avoidance of doing anything improper (Conrad 41). As for the captain, devoted to his alter-ego, he thought briefly about the extenuating circumstances surrounding the killing, and about how Leggatt’s actions probably saved the lives of all the others aboard the Sephora. In any case, the captain “had no leisure to weigh the merits of the matter” (Conrad 46). He had to follow his heart.
Dual Life Unbearable
For practical reasons, and to get on with the business of life, the captain had to resolve the situation. It was nearly impossible to continue hiding the secret sharer. He became more fascinated, yet more maddened by this feeling of duality. He became distracted “almost to the point of insanity” (Conrad 36). The captain reports: “That mental feeling of being in two places at once affected me physically as if the mood of secrecy had penetrated my very soul” (Conrad 46). Conrad is demonstrating that we cannot continually dwell on and brood about our darker side. Our psyche would be destroyed. We must grow and change, for sure, but we must acknowledge and pity our darker side, and go about the business of life in the process.
Courage in Letting Go
However, the captain was hesitant to let go. He felt ashamed in his hesitation about letting Leggatt swim away: that would be cowardice, to not let go. It takes courage to let go and, as the captain demonstrates, to set another course, to steer in a direction that all others claim is a dangerous one. The white hat symbolizes the “good” that occurred from the captain’s letting go and it signified the end of the dangerous course (Nelson). It is significant that the captain did everything possible to ensure Leggatt’s freedom and survival, instead of subduing or repressing his darker side. The captain, having made a full commitment to dealing with his other self, and by acting according to his inner voice versus according to the “law,” was now able to resume his life as a more enlightened and self-confident individual. He was now ready to assume full responsibility for the ship.
***
Works Cited
Conrad, Joseph. “The Secret Sharer.”
Friedman,
Garcia, Dacely, and Anissa
Barton-Thompson. “Approaches to Literature.” Humanities 502: Defining the
Humanities: Literature. Course guideline.
Mudrick, Marvin, ed. Conrad: A
Collection of Critical Essays.
---. Introduction. Mudrick 1-11.
---. “The Originality of Conrad.” Mudrick 37-44.
Nelson,
“Study Guide for Heart of Darkness and
‘The Secret Sharer’ by Joseph Conrad.” Rev. The Glencoe Literature
Library. New York. Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.
<http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/heartofdark.html>
