Leggatt As An Independent Char
acter
in Joseph Conrad's "The Secret Sharer"
This essay examines Leggatt as an independent person, rather than as a
symbol connected to the captain-narrator, a view shared by many critics.
Leggatt is not a negative influence on the captain per se. From an
objective point of view, it can be seen that Leggatt's portrayal depends
entirely on how the captain (as narrator) perceives him, and that he
deserves to be treated as the individual being that he is.
Many of Conrad's critics, most notably Albert J. Guerard , Robert W.
Stallmann , have taken the view that Leggatt, of the novella "The Secret
Sharer," is either some sort of symbol of the captain's dark side, a
kind of role ...
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is
hardly an acceptable practice, and avoiding justice, and one's
punishment—all of which Leggatt do—only worsen the issue. The captain
claims that in swimming to the island Koh-ring, his double had "lowered
himself into the water to take his punishment" (Conrad 193). However, as
Cedric Watts argues, this is only true because Leggatt, by escaping
justice, will face an uncertain future marooned on an island (134). In
reality, Leggatt is doing the opposite; he is lowering himself into the
water to escape from the law, for it is unlikely that he would get off
scot-free in court. The captain describes Koh-ring as "a towering black
mass like the very gateway of Erebus," (Conrad 193) Erebus being the
cavern through which the souls of the dead entered Hades' world (Watts
134).
Leggatt and the captain discover soon after they first meet that they
are both "Conway boys," that is, as cadets, they served as crew on the
training-ship the Conway, which is moored in ...
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influence is that he brings about situations in which the captain risks
his career, crew, ship, and life. However, Leggatt is not responsible
for the captain's behavior. During the course of the novella, the
captain always retains the power to choose his actions and to make his
own decisions. The dark characterization of Leggatt comes from the
captain's perspective and portrayal of Leggatt.
The captain is an alienated man. At the very beginning of the novel, he
comments a few times that he is the only stranger on board his ship:
"...my position was that of the only stranger on board....But what I
felt most was my being a stranger to the ship, and if all the truth ...
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"Leggatt As An Independent Char." Essayworld.com. July 9, 2004. Accessed April 25, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Leggatt-As-An-Independent-Char/10746.
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