Making
the psychological theme of the double plausible is the central problem in
Conrad's "The Secret Sharer," for the protagonist's double is not
only projected outside him, but also is dramatized in the story as an external
self who has been involved in a crime apart from the protagonist and whose
crime is at the core of the moral issue facing him. The story itself is split between the plot,
which focuses on the stranger and the captain's efforts to protect and conceal
him, and the mind of the captain who obsessively persists on perceiving and
describing the stranger Leggatt as his other self, his double.
The
story also depends on metaphorical details which suggest that Leggatt has been
summoned forth from the captain's unconscious as an aspect of the self with
which he must deal. Although it can be
said that Leggatt represents some aspect of the captain's personality that he
must integrate--instinctive behavior rather than the Hamlet-like uncertainty he
experiences on his first command--it is more probable that he is brought on
board to make explicit and dramatically concrete the dual workings of the
captain's mind which distract him and tear him apart. This creation of an "as-if" real
character to embody what are essentially psychic processes marks the
impressionistic extension of the trend that began the short story form during
the romantic period.
The
basic issues the story deals with are the following: what does it mean to be a stranger to
yourself? What does it mean to see
yourself in another? What does
"being in command" mean? What
does it mean to be your brother's keeper?
What does the notion of talking to oneself suggest? Why does having a secret self split the
self? The very fact that the captain
refers over and over to Leggatt as his secret sharer suggests Legatt's
precarious hold on his position as a real person in the real world. Note his use of "as if" in "as
if our experiences were identical" and
"as if you expected me."
"The
Secret Sharer" can be read in any one of several different ways. On the one hand, it follows the conventions
of an adventure story at sea. It can
also be read as a story of initiation in which the captain must meet the
challenge of command and move from insecurity to confidence in his own
ability. It can be discussed as a story
of moral conflict in which the captain must make a decision between identifying
with the individual or with the rules made by society. Finally, of course, it can be read as a story
of psychological projection in which Leggatt represents some aspect of the
captain's own personality that must be dealt with. There is no real conflict between these
various interpretations, for all of them are interrelated; Leggatt is both
outside the captain and inside him at the same time.
A
short film adaptation of the story, starring David Soul as the captain, deals
competently with the ambiguity of Legatt's status in the world. On the one hand, Legatt is indeed a real
person in the real world in the film.
However, several scenes in the film suggest his duality with the
captain. First of all he rises up out of
the sea directly below the captain's face, as if he were Narcissus. Then he is initially identified with the captain
by close-up shots of their hands: first
a shot of the captain's hand at the beginning suggesting his shaky hold on
command; then a shot of Legatt's hand gripping the rail as he comes on board; a
shot of the hands of both the captain and Legatt clasped together as they say
goodbye; finally, another close-up of the captain's hand on the ship's rail at
the end, indicating that he now has a firm grip on command and his own sense of
identity.
Since
most of the two-shots of the captain and Legatt take place below-decks, the
natural overhead light on the tops of their heads as they put their heads
together over a map emphasizes their physical similarity. Moreover, the fact that most of the dialogue
between the two men takes place in whispers suggests the notion of a man
talking to himself.
Tomorrow: Julio Cortezar's
"The Island at Noon"
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