Pajama Time!

Last night, I answered a "small question" from our "Secret Sharer" packet asking about the significance of the pajama suits that both the captain and Leggatt wear.  Literally, it shows a connection between the captain and Leggatt because they are wearing identical clothing, however the pajama suits have a more metaphorical meaning as well (surprise, surprise!).

First of all, the fact that they are pajamas, rather than normal day time clothing, maybe proves that the captain is dreaming, or maybe identifying Leggatt as a dreamy-like character.  Even if it is reality and not a dream, Leggatt is still described as a ghost-like figure from the very moment the captain first saw him with his "greenish cadaverous glow."  

The color gray represents the "in-between" or "middle-ground" because it is the in-between of black and white--drastic opposites.  Therefore, the gray pajamas that the captain and Leggatt wear represent the distinct opposites of reality and dream/the subconscious. 

Comments

[Alexi S.]

I thought that the emphasis on the "sleeping suits" described by Conrad helped build contrast between the captain and his crew. The crew are all dressed normally, as we can infer from the reading, while the captain frequently goes about on deck during the day in his sleeping suit. It seems that by having both the captain and Leggatt wearing sleeping suits may help draw a further distinction between them and the rest of the crew.

[Katherine S.]

Another interesting thought about the "sleeping suits" is the idea of them being intimate. "Sleeping suits", the word in and of itself, is very intimate. It infers something sexual. As the crew wears normal clothes, the captain and Leggatt are wearing these "sleeping suits". This sexual idea of the "sleeping suits" supports the reading of the Secret Sharer of the captain and Leggatt as lovers.

[Emily A.]

The abnormality of the sleeping suits also separates the captain and Leggatt from the rest of the crew. They are alone. The gray color has the same separation. It is in-between so they do not belong anywhere.