The Secret Sharer essay
The Secret Sharer is the novella by Joseph Conrad that uncovers the story of the captain hiding a murder. The act of the captain is unthinkable, taking into consideration his position and responsibility. Nevertheless he hides the murderer from the team and even saves his life letting him escape. At first glance, his behavior is inexplicable, but, in all probability, in the Secret Sharer, a twin of the young captain comes aboard and is helped by him because he identifies with him.
The captain is a stranger in the ship because he has just joined the team and knows no one. The stranger, whom he saved, becomes his friend and he is the only person, whom the captain considers as a friend. The captain perceives the stranger, who turns out to be Leggatt, who murdered a sailor and escaped from the ship, as his twin because he is also a complete stranger with the crew waiting for his error to undermine his authority and to disobey him openly. Similarly, Leggatt hides from the crew because he knows that if they find him he will be destroyed just like the captain, if he shows his weakness.
In addition, they have a secret in common. Their secret makes them closer to each other. Only the captain knows the truth about Leggatt. On the one hand, the captain feels his power of the murderer, while, on the other hand, he feels him being his twin because he is the only person he can share things that are really important for him.
The stranger confessed the captain and uncovered the truth about his murder. Therefore, he relied entirely on the captain. Probably the captain starts feel sympathetic to Leggatt and cannot dare to betray the person, who trusted him fully. The captain cannot just betray his friend. In addition, he feels the power since the fate of the murderer is within his hands. It is up to him to decide whether Leggatt will go to the court or will find salvation and escape justice. Feeling being a friend, a twin of Leggatt, the captain prefers to save him that proves his sympathy to his friend.
The distance between the captain and the crew does not allow the captain to reveal his friend because doping so he would show the team that he violated rules because he had no right to hide the murderer. On the contrary, as the captain he had to detain the criminal and sent him to the court. Instead, he is hiding him. Therefore, if the captain violates the law, than the crew will be not confident in their captain. More important, the crew will believe that they can violate the law as well as the captain has once done.
In addition, the captain saved Leggatt and he probably feels remorse to betray him after he torn him out of hands of the death, when Leggatt was in the sea and almost certain to die. The captain feels that Leggatt is as lonely as he is in the hostile world and decides to help him as the only person, who he can share secrets with.
Thus, the captain hides and saves Leggatt because he feels sympathetic to the murderer and he recognizes himself in the murderer, who confronts the hostile world and has to defend himself with all his forces.
