Leggatt: The Captain's College

While reading The Secret Sharer, I knew that Leggatt was supposed to be the captain's doppleganger, but I felt that, more than anything, Leggatt was an escape from reality for the captain. Before Leggatt's arrival, the captain was lonely and clearly an outcast on the ship. He took Leggatt's arrival as an opportunity to be who ever he wanted to be since he did not have to live up to any reputation. For the captain, Leggatt was like college; when they first were intreoduced, the captain got a chance to start over, but after Leggatt left, the captain was still who he had been all along. I think that Leggatt inspired the captain to be the person he wanted to be on the ship because although he was the captain and should have been in charge, since he was a newbie he was kind of dictated by the crew members. With Leggatt, it was different. The captain was the only one who knew about Leggatt on the ship, so he was in charge of that secret and no one could tell him how to handle it, or carry out that business for him like the crew members could as they ran the ship. In no way do I think that the captain and Leggatt were lovers, because if the underlying meaning was that the captain was gay and could not express his feelings at the time, then why wouldn't he have had relationships with the hundred or so other men that worked on the ship? Leggatt also cannot be a figment of the captain's imagination because the captain of the other ship comes looking for him, therefore I believe that Leggatt's sole purpose in the story was to give the captain an opportunity to come out of his shell.

Comments

[Danielle Z.]

i like your college metaphor. i agree with the assertion that leggatt allowed the narrator to come out of his shell so to speak but the fact that the other captain came looking for him still does not convince me fully that leggatt was real.

[Hannah M.]

I couldn't agree more, Sara. I did catch some actions that could have represented a relationship, however, I saw their relationship as more of a friendship. Like you said, Leggatt allowed the captain to come into touch with himself, realize who he really was, and take charge of the ship. The captain had the opportunity for a fresh start, which i enjoyed, but it seemed like he needed a reminder to continue to stay "out of his shell". While I may be wrong, their relationship is strictly friendly and not romantic.