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Secret Sharer Captain

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The Captain, the protagonist in The Secret Sharer, hides an important secret from his crew members. In Joseph Conrad’s novella, Leggatt, accused of murdering a fellow crewman, is held on board the Captain’s ship as a fugitive from the law. Throughout the story, the Captain fears that Leggatt will be discovered and devises a plan to assist Leggatt in his escape to safety. This secret constructs a mutual friendship between the Captain and Leggatt, creates many burdens on the Captain and positively affects the Captain’s mood. In the beginning of the novella, the Captain is in command of his first naval vessel. Inexperienced to this level of leadership, the Captain acknowledges the other crewmen’s doubts in his decision-making, however, the feelings of loneliness and isolation encircle the Captain’s mood. Conrad notes the Captain’s anxiety of being in charge of a tightly knit crew…“All these people had been together for eighteen months or so, and my position was that of the only stranger on board.” Then it happened (19). When the Captain meets Leggatt, he realizes Leggatt is the only person to understand his loneliness. Consequently, the Captain and Leggatt partake in a secret friendship that lightens the Captain’s isolationist attitude. …show more content…

However, the Captain’s steward services his cabin each day. As a result of constant fear of Leggatt’s discovery, the secret casts a heavy burden on the Captain. Because of this burden, the Captain spirals downwards to complete madness. He deviates the steward’s instructions constantly…“It was this maddening course of being shouted at, checked without rhyme or reason, arbitrarily chased out of my cabin…that accounted for the growing wretchedness of his expression.” Conrad satirically demonstrates how the Captain’s anxiety affects the other crewmen, especially the

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