Leggatt and the captain's bond becomes stronger once they learn that they share a common training background.Ĭonway boys are taught the importance of fierce loyalty toward one's ship (Batchelor 187). In this novel, the Conway serves as "a universal letter of credit" (Burgess 115). 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 the Mersey at Liverpool (Conrad 146).
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). 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. However, as Cedric Watts argues, this is only true because Leggatt, by escaping justice, will face an uncertain future marooned on an island (134). 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).
Murdering mutinous crew members is hardly an acceptable practice, and avoiding justice, and one's punishment-all of which Leggatt do-only worsen the issue. By no means are Leggatt's decisions and actions exemplary. In this essay I will first examine the captain's portrayal of Leggatt, then argue that Leggatt is none of these, rather, he is a complete person in and of himself, and not simply part of the captain's personality deficiencies.Īt first glance it would seem that Leggatt is either the antagonist or provides a criminal influence on the captain. 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 model for the captain, or that he is part of the captain. Many of Conrad's critics, most notably Albert J. 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. Leggatt is not a negative influence on the captain per se. 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 as an independent character in joseph conrad's 'the s