The Secret Sharer: A Story of Initiation

One of the discussion questions for The Secret Sharer describes it as a story of “initiation.” This is a story where “a boy or young man, unaware of the perils and complexities of human existence, is exposed to a series of painful events that initiate him into the reality of adult life.” I definitely think The Secret Sharer could be categorized as this type of story because of the decisions that the captain had to make. He had never been captain before and was unfamiliar to his ship and the crew members. He was also unsure of himself because he questioned whether or not he could handle the full responsibility of being captain.  

He was faced with the dilemma of handling his ship but also taking in and hiding a wanted man, called Leggatt. He needed to make many important decisions regarding himself and Leggatt, like how he could get Leggatt to escape with no one noticing and how he could get the ship close enough to land for Leggatt to swim away without jeopardizing the safety of the ship. In the end, the captain succeeded in helping Leggatt escape and he prevented the ship from going into the rocks, proving his skills as a captain. I think this story fits as one of initiation because the captain learned a lot about himself and what’s he capable of after meeting someone who resembled him so closely and after succeeding in taking on so much responsibility as captain.

Do you think The Secret Sharer can be classified as a story of “initiation”? 

Comments

[Alexi S.]

I don't really think it's much of an ititiation, because part of the definition calls for exposure to a "series of painful events," but with the precondition that he was "unaware of the perils and complexities of human existence." I think the captain was very well aware of what his role as captain would be, he had served on many other ships, and I think the events that unfolded around him were not necessarily painful or difficult due to forces outside of his control. His voyage could have been easy had he turned Leggatt in (the right thing to do, the man was a murderer) and ultimately he brought this all upon himself.