captain's metamorphosis

The narrator of the story, this is a young man who only a fortnight before the story begins receives his first command of a ship. Because he has been on the ship only two weeks, at the beginning of the novel he feels like he is not only a "stranger to the ship" but also a "stranger to himself." Deeply introspective, he is one of only two characters in the book that is fully exposed throughout Conrad's story and the story revolves around his personal inadequacies and the resolution of those same inadequacies. Once he rescues Leggatt, an escaped criminal, he feels a deep bond with the man, like he is his "secret self," hence the title of the book. By hiding him and assisting him to escape, the captain not only regains control of his own life, but he overcomes his personal inadequacies, wins the respect of his crew, and most importantly, comes to know himself much better.

The narrator of the story, this is a young man who only a fortnight before the story begins receives his first command of a ship. Because he has been on the ship only two weeks, at the beginning of the novel he feels like he is not only a "stranger to the ship" but also a "stranger to himself." Deeply introspective, he is one of only two characters in the book that is fully exposed throughout Conrad's story and the story revolves around his personal inadequacies and the resolution of those same inadequacies. Once he rescues Leggatt, an escaped criminal, he feels a deep bond with the man, like he is his "secret self," hence the title of the book. By hiding him and assisting him to escape, the captain not only regains control of his own life, but he overcomes his personal inadequacies, wins the respect of his crew, and most importantly, comes to know himself much better.

http://www.gradesaver.com/secret-sharer/study-guide/character-list/