analyzing "the secret sharer" by joseph conrad
...ual progression in self-discovery. The way that the captain works out the problem, with himself, Leggatt killing a man, is to punish Leggatt by leaving him on an isolated island. The scene where Leggatt leaves the ship is written in a way to describe not only Leggatt leaving but also the death of a person translating into, in this case, a restraint on ones own capabilities. After this scene, the captain has a new aura about him and he is able to command the ship and prove himself by guiding the ship to safety. The reason he can be such an able captain is the result of him working out things with his secret self. In conclusion, both the Leggatt persona and the captain persona gained self-discovery and self-mastery from the relationship between him, leaving him as one again. 2) The Secret Sharer is a story full of symbolism surrounding the captain of a ship who is on a voyage of self-exploration, self-discovery, and self-mastery. At the beginning, we are told about the captain’s situation, where he is the new captain of a ship and crew. He does not know the people on the ship well at all, and they do not know if they can trust him. He feels the need to isolate himself, which we learn from the fact that he decides to patrol the ship alone at night. While alone on the ship deck, he begins his voyage of self-exploration. He sees a man in the water and at first; it seems like the man, Leggatt, who is a piece of the captain’s self being, does not appear to have a head. The captain then sees Leggatt raise his head up out of the water. The following scene is meant to signify a type of birth or rebirth. Leggatt rises out of the water, which symbolizes him coming out the womb, like a newborn baby. This is the beginning of the captain’s self-discovery. The captain when meeting Leggatt notices how much alike they are, and he is continually calling Leggatt his double, his secret self, or his other self. He finds a lot of similarity between there past as well, for example them both being “Conway boys,” having gone to the same school. The situation is that Leggatt killed a man and the captain knowing this continues to hide him away in his room, and he is not going to let anyone know about Leggatt being there. In one part of the book, the captain thinks to himself that Leggatt is not a bit like him. This symbolizes self-denial. In reality, the captain just does not want to be aware of that side of him. We know that side does exist, and that is the struggle within the captain. While the captain is trying to hide Leggatt, he starts to get very annoyed and angered at the Stewart. The Stewart comes in his room, bringing his jacket and goes toward the bathroom to hang it there. Leggatt is hiding in the bathroom and the feelings and thoughts going through the ...