Leggatt's character in The Secret Sharer This essay examines Leggatt as an independent person, rather than as a symbol linked to the captain-narrator, a view shared by many critics. Leggatt is not in itself a negative influence on the captain. From an objective point of view, it can be seen that Leggatt's portrayal depends entirely on how the captain (as narrator) perceives him and that he deserves to be treated as the individual that he is. Many of Conrad's critics, especially Albert J. Guerard and Robert W. Stallmann are of the opinion that Leggatt, in the story "The Secret Sharer", is a kind of symbol of the captain's dark side, a kind of model for the captain, or that it is part of the captain. In this essay I will first examine the captain's portrayal of Leggatt, then argue that Leggatt is none of these, rather, he is a complete person in and of himself, and not simply part of the shortcomings of the captain's personality. At first glance it would appear that Leggatt is the antagonist or provides criminal influence over the captain. Leggatt's decisions and actions are far from exemplary. Murdering mutinous crew members is certainly not an acceptable practice, and avoiding justice and his own punishment, all of which Leggatt does, only makes the situation worse. The captain claims that, in swimming towards Koh-ring Island, his double had “thrown himself into the water to suffer his punishment” (Conrad 193). However, as Cedric Watts argues, this is only true because Leggatt, escaping justice, will face an uncertain future marooned on an island (134). In reality, Leggatt is doing the opposite; he is lowering himself into the water to escape the law,...... in the middle of a sheet of paper... as free as possible while escaping from the law. Works Cited: Baines, Jocelyn. Joseph Conrad: A Critical Biography. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1959.Batchelor, John. The Life of Joseph Conrad: A Critical Biography. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1994.Burgess, Chester Francis. The company of the profession: Corrado on ships, sailors and the sea. New York: National University Publications, 1976. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer. New York: Bantam Books, 1981.Graver, Lawrence. Conrad's short fiction. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969. Karl, Frederick Robert. Joseph Conrad: The Three Lives. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1979. Watts, Cedric. A preface to Corrado. 2nd ed. New York: Longman Publishing, 1993.