The Secret Sharer The Metamorphosis of a CaptainIn the story "The Secret Sharer" by Joseph Conrad, the captain of the ship, the Colorado, changes from an insecure and inexperienced captain of the ship to a more confident and protected individual, due to his experiences with the Secret Sharer. At first, the captain is unsure of his place on the ship and doesn't feel good about being in charge. Through his relationship with the One who shares the secret, the captain finds his identity and becomes a confident person. At the beginning of the story, the captain is very uncomfortable when he is put in the position of captain of a ship embarking on a long and arduous voyage. The captain begins to feel insecure about managing his ship and questions his ability to lead it. During one of the first nights aboard the ship, the captain expresses his thoughts of insecurity and embarrassment when he does something a captain normally wouldn't do: he plans to take part in the night watch. “I felt painfully that I – a stranger – was doing something unusual when I ordered him to let all the hands turn without setting the anchor clock” (941). The captain is so awkward and unsure of his actions that he reacts almost painfully to the crew's judgment of his orders. He also states that he perceives himself as an outsider among others. Among his insecurities, the captain also considers himself a stranger to himself and unfit to manage his ship. The captain thinks: “But what I felt most was the fact of being a stranger to the ship; and if I have to tell the whole truth, I was a bit of a stranger to myself. Being the youngest man on board (excluding the second officer), and not yet tested by a position of full responsibility, I was willing to take the adequacy of others for granted” (940). The captain is young and doesn't feel like he really knows himself. This insecurity leads him to believe that he is not fit to lead others if he doesn't even trust himself. The captain begins to change when he develops a close relationship with the secret sharer, a criminal he shelters and with whom he can relate. Through a close and secret relationship with the secret sharer, the captain begins to find his identity and develops into a very confident and capable captain.