Psychoanalytical Interpretation of Joseph Conrad's The Secret Sharer
Psychoanalytical Interpretation of Joseph Conrad’s ‘The Secret Sharer’
‘The Secret Sharer’, supposed to be a short story, was written by Joseph Conrad in 1909, taking a break from his work on ‘Under Western Eyes’. It was first published in Harper’s Magazine in 1910. It appeared in a book form in the collection of Conrad’s short stories ‘’Twixt Land and Sea’ in 1912. Commenting on Conrad’s plan to call the story either ‘The Second Self’ or ‘The Other Self’, Frederick R Karl wrote:
His psychological need to share his situation with those close to him is a personal manifestation of what he had been just writing . . . He displayed now his familiar pattern of dependency, seeking supporters as he was being deserted, first by [Ford Madox Ford], then by [his agent, James] Pinker. (Joseph Conrad: The Three Lives: A Biography, 675-76)
‘The Secret Sharer’ owes its origins to events that took place on the ‘Cutty Sark’ in 1880 when the first mate killed a man under his supervision, for insolence during a stormy situation. Conrad might have been impressed by that account. Moreover, he also seems to have drawn from his own experience as the captain of the ship ‘Otago’. In that ship he had a confrontation with his first mate who did not trust him. Moreover, a perilous situation was created when Conrad maneuvered the ship dangerously close to rocks in the Gulf of Siam.
‘The Secret Sharer’, considered to be among Conrad’s finest short stories, begins with a young unnamed captain unsure of himself in his first command. One evening, while alone on deck, he notices a man hanging onto the ship’s ladder. The man, Leggatt, turns out to be the first mate of the ‘Sephora’. Leggatt had killed an insubordinate crew member during a storm and was being transported to stand trial when he escaped to avert the punishment due to him. The young captain feels a strange affinity for Leggatt and hides him in his own quarters. The next day, Captain Archbold of the ‘Sephora’ arrives looking for
‘The Secret Sharer’, supposed to be a short story, was written by Joseph Conrad in 1909, taking a break from his work on ‘Under Western Eyes’. It was first published in Harper’s Magazine in 1910. It appeared in a book form in the collection of Conrad’s short stories ‘’Twixt Land and Sea’ in 1912. Commenting on Conrad’s plan to call the story either ‘The Second Self’ or ‘The Other Self’, Frederick R Karl wrote:
His psychological need to share his situation with those close to him is a personal manifestation of what he had been just writing . . . He displayed now his familiar pattern of dependency, seeking supporters as he was being deserted, first by [Ford Madox Ford], then by [his agent, James] Pinker. (Joseph Conrad: The Three Lives: A Biography, 675-76)
‘The Secret Sharer’ owes its origins to events that took place on the ‘Cutty Sark’ in 1880 when the first mate killed a man under his supervision, for insolence during a stormy situation. Conrad might have been impressed by that account. Moreover, he also seems to have drawn from his own experience as the captain of the ship ‘Otago’. In that ship he had a confrontation with his first mate who did not trust him. Moreover, a perilous situation was created when Conrad maneuvered the ship dangerously close to rocks in the Gulf of Siam.
‘The Secret Sharer’, considered to be among Conrad’s finest short stories, begins with a young unnamed captain unsure of himself in his first command. One evening, while alone on deck, he notices a man hanging onto the ship’s ladder. The man, Leggatt, turns out to be the first mate of the ‘Sephora’. Leggatt had killed an insubordinate crew member during a storm and was being transported to stand trial when he escaped to avert the punishment due to him. The young captain feels a strange affinity for Leggatt and hides him in his own quarters. The next day, Captain Archbold of the ‘Sephora’ arrives looking for