Heart Of Darkness And The Secret Sharer: An Analysis

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Have you ever wondered why some people act the way they do? Are some people just born smart, mean, or ambitious? Malcolm Gladwell's explores this question in this book Outliers: The Story of Success. He deduces that many of our decisions, actions, and situations are a result of the environment around us. Similarly, Joseph Conrad’s novels Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer explores the very same question with dynamic characters as they struggle through the blood thirsty and money hungry Congo during the ivory mining era and complete isolation of a captain on his own ship. Conrad’s novels demonstrate the theme that every man struggles from inner demons while in stressful environments thus, supporting Gladwell’s thesis through personification …show more content…

The novel takes place inside an anonymous Captain’s mind as he sails his ship through the Gulf of Thailand. He feels completely isolated from the rest of the crew and even describes himself as “a stranger on board…” (Conrad, “The Secret Sharer” 167). One night, he finds a naked man climbing up the side of his ship named Leggat and invited him aboard even after he confessed to killing a man. On page 161 it states, “He appealed to me as if our experiences has been identical as our clothes. And I knew well enough also that my double there was no homicidal ruffian” (Conrad, “The Secret Sharer”). From this evidence it is evident that the Captain’s isolated environment had a profound effect on his actions for, no normal person would gladly invite a homicidal naked man on their ship with no other crew members around. Leggat is revealed later in the novel to be a personification of the Captain’s inner demons from numerous occasions of the Captain identifying himself with the man, even describing him as his “second self” (Conrad, “The Secret Sharer” 174). The Secret Sharer’s personification of the Captain's personal turmoil while in his stressful environment of loneliness had a strong influence on the Captain’s actions thus supporting Gladwell’s

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