The sea is filled with adventure, but can be detrimental to one physically, mentally and emotionally. There are more dangers at the sea than just the sea itself. Joseph Conrad includes a doppelganger, Leggatt, of the young Captain that many believe is a real person. His readers think that the doppelganger is a real person, but Conrad hints that the doppelganger is not a real person. In The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad, isolation and stress at sea drive the young Captain to create a fantasized character named Leggatt who is a representation of the type of person the Captain would like to be. The experiences with Leggatt help him undergo a positive metamorphosis.
Before the young Captain meets Leggatt, he encounters plenty of stress and loneliness. The young Captain feels that he was somewhat of a stranger to himself, also being the youngest man on board (221). The young Captain lacks confidence in running the ship and is in a crisis of self identity. He does not know who he really is. As the youngest leader onboard he is intimidated by his other chief mates. His only connection is with the ship. While alone his hands resting lightly on [his] ships rail as if on the shoulder of a trusted friend (220). The young Captains only friend is an inanimate object that he cannot socialize with. He has the incapability to trust people because he is insecure about himself. When he dismissed his officers he questioned if his kind motives might have made [him] appear eccentric (223). His act of kindness leads to him thinking that he set his precedent as being soft, again showing his insecurities. The young Captains overloads of stress and loneliness leads to him psychologically create Leggatt.
Leggatt was created from the young Captains psychological mind. He wonders whether he can live up to that ideal conception of ones own personality every man sets up for himself (222). The pressure of being a perfect captain pushes the young Captain to set an image of what would become Leggatt.
