The Secret Sharer Essay Example

The Secret Sharer is a short story that is written by Joseph Conrad. It is an interesting story that makes people ask questions. This is a story about a newly-promoted young nameless captain who hides a murderer called Leggatt on his ship. Leggatt swims to the captain's ship after killing one of his shipmates on a ship named the Sephora. Leggatt is then met by the captain who is on lookout duty alone. After having a little chat with Leggatt, he hides Leggatt in his cabin. The captain even lies for Leggatt when the skipper of the Sephora visits him. After that, the captain brings his ship close to the land so that Leggatt can escape safely. Leggatt is a murderer and a stranger to the captain; why did the captain hide him? Maybe because Leggatt is a “Conway boy” and his life is similar to the captain's; they are from England, and studied in Conway private school. I don't think that the captain would help Leggatt if he were not English and a Conway boy. But he did the right thing – to hide and help Leggatt to get away from the crew of the Sephora and punishment. If the captain didn't help him, he would be brought by the crew of the Sephora to be put on trial in England. Besides, the appearance of Leggatt gives the captain a chance to prove his navigation skills by going close to the land. But what I would do is to give him some religious advice, such as to repent of his sin. Besides that, I would asked why he murdered his shipmate. For whatever reason, I would say that there is another way to solve the problem beside killing him. Leggatt is so very similar to the captain that some readers, including myself, question his existence in the story, and his ability to hide secretly and silently in a small space. I begin to ask, “Is he real?Is he made up from the captain's mind?” These questions have different answers. Leggatt could be an imaginary character made up from the captain's mind to assist the captain to prove his navigation skills. But what I think of