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Jaharra Womack

ENGL 2031.1711

Dr. Jones

04 October 2021

Man in the Mirror

Winning against a personal demon takes a special blend of confidence, courage, control,

and trust. Conrad’s Captain heroically faces his fears and, with the help of his little friend, gains

all these qualities and more. If Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Sharer is analyzed using New Critical

theories, one must focus entirely on the text itself while disregarding any sociological or

psychological influences on the work or writer. Based on the captain’s strong relationship with

the stow away, Leggatt, real or imaginary, is the personification of the captains fears and

insecurities over his maiden voyage as captain. They used each other, one physically and the

other emotionally, in a mutually beneficial exchange that gave them the strength to stand

independently.

In order to form a New Critical interpretation, one must ask “what single interpretation of

the text best establishes its organic unity” (Tyson 150)? Simply put, how do the text’s formal

elements work together to support the theme and why does this unique combination speak to the

strength of the work? To avoid affective fallacy of confusing the text with the emotions it affects,

Conrad aids the reader by putting them in the captain’s shoes. Through the eyes of the captain,

the reader is able to best analyze his inner monologue of doubt and isolation. He struggled with

maintaining control and confidence in his ability. It is in facing these fears for the first time that

he is presented with Leggatt who is the physical double of the captain. This double revelation is
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no accident, and the point is made on multiple occasions in the text that Leggatt could be

mistaken for the captain and vice versa.

The connection between Leggatt and the captain continues to develop and becomes more

than just physical as the plot twists and the skipper of the Sephora comes aboard creating

incredible tension in the text between the characters. The visiting skipper, in describing his

feelings for the runaway criminal, created an external connection between the two characters.

For reasons outside of his comprehension, the captain was able to put himself in Leggatt’s shoes

when hearing his stories. The skipper has a prior relationship with Leggatt and when the captain

hears his opinion on the fugitive, the captain “had become so connected in thoughts and

impressions” with Leggett that he felt as if he wouldn’t get along with the skipper either

(Conrad14). This is a great opportunity for the duality of the captain and Leggatt to be revealed

in the reaction of the skipper to the captain, but the resemblance remained only within the

captain’s mind. This elemental tension cements a one-way comparison of Leggatt that is only

evident in the mind of the captain.

Throughout the text, the reader is presented with descriptions of Leggatt through the eyes

of the captain. He makes several remarks about Leggatt being his physical double and doubles

down on this in the eyes of the reader by not ever giving a description of himself. From the text,

the vision the reader would have of the captain would be identical to that of Leggatt. This

intentional visualization creates a permanence of association between the two which is both

memorable and revealing. Not only does the captain view himself and Leggatt as one, but also

refuses to individualize differences between them. To the captain, and therefore everywhere else,

they are the same.

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Important among New Critical analysts is the theme which must present a universal form

of human significance (Magill 3973). Continuing to personify Leggatt as the captain’s fear,

apprehension, and isolation from the rest of the crew, one can see from the parting of the two

reinforces how knowledge and experience can lead to freedom. Leggatt, who first appears after

the captain reveals his insecurities over taking command, leaves just as the captain is proving his

worth to the crew with his aptitude and conviction. Symbolically, the text presents the passing of

the captain’s sleeping hat which represents the how the two came together to survive in a trying

time then separating after finding strength in each other. No longer caring about trying to impress

the crew, the captain’s feelings of protection over Leggatt took priority and he was able to offer a

small token to him. This token reappears to help the captain in navigating the ship through the

dark waters. This highlights the essential nature of their formation, growth, and separation.

The intrinsic value of this piece is directly derived from the relationship between Leggatt

and the Captain. Leggatt provides an opportunity for the captain to come face to face with his

doubts, fears, and reservations in a nonthreatening and reflective environment. The captain is

able to project his focus away from worrying about acting knowledgeably and avoiding

eccentricities to protecting his secret at all costs. He unintentionally builds confidence in himself

and with his crew by projecting assurance and control in order to avert suspicion. By the end of

their adventure, the captain’s timidity is replaced by certainty and Leggatt’s naivety develops

into knowledge. Both men are free each other from the prison of fear they had constructed for

themselves. Neither could have boasted such an accomplishment without the other. By close

reading of the text itself we can see how the formal elements come together to create a complete

picture that can not be disassembled but must be examined as a whole in relation to its parts.
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Works Cited:

Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. London: Routledge, 2006.

Critical Survey of Poetry, edited by Frank N. Magill, Salem Press, 1992, pp. 3973-3980.

Conrad, Joseph. The Secret Sharer. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing, 2010.