The Secret Sharer Symbolism
...y ways. Although the primary reason that Captain brings the ship close to the island in the first place is to free Leggatt, the symbolic and more important reason behind this act is for the Captain to prove himself to his crew. The outer and most obvious layer of the Captain’s actions in trying to get his ship as close as possible to shore is that the Captain’s only companion is Leggatt and he wants him to have a safe and easy journey to shore. Furthermore, because they are one another’s “double”, in making sure that Leggatt is safer; the Captain also gains a security in himself. Leggatt could easily make a mile swim to shore, but the Captain gains more security in bringing his ship much closer than a mile to shore. The Captain is conscious of how he is endangering his ship and his men, “I walked over to leeward and my heart flew into my mouth at the nearness of the land on the bow” (58). He also realizes that, “Under any other circumstances I would not have held on a minute longer” (58). The circumstances which lead him to “hold on” are that he feels he must give Leggatt an easy swim to the island, but more importantly, he knows that if he succeeds, he will have proved himself to his crew in authority and even bravery. The Captain receives little respect from his crew. Most of his crew believe that he is either a little insane or at least somewhat of a drunkard. The task which comes before him enables him to push himself, his crew, and his ship to their utmost limit. All is well if the Captain is successful in his task, while if he fails, all is lost and he realizes this, “…I realized suddenly that all my future, the only future for which I was fit, would perhaps go irretrievably to pieces in any mishap to my first command” (54). The Captain succeeds in bringi...