condrad's craftsmanship in the Secret Sharer

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http://www.gradesaver.com/secret-sharer/study-guide/major-themes/

It seems to me Joseph Conrad had written this unearthy psychological thriller using one of the episodes in his energetic seaman's career (as his biography suggests). If about his profound insight, he, beleivably being a weather-worn seaman with a fast grip on the knowledge of the sea, captainship and team spirit which invariably arose during long hours of sea-faring, must have developed such (an insight) into the nature of the things on board that he had to pour us, keen readers, with its human and humane depths. Another matter is found in comparing The Secret Sharer with the writer's another masterpiece "The Heart of Darkness" where a similar picture of the inner lining of human psychology is given, and even the title of it is explicit in referring to what people say about what is going on in the others' minds, that is "The other man's soul is dark". The central theme of Secret Sharer can be equalized to that of A Starge Story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Stevenson, i.e. human duplicity, our own doppelganger, and added to that a problem of self-assertion in a troubled sea of life. And, finally, there is a conventional theory, that man can embody different characters in respect to his age, conditions, frame of mind - one time you're robustly optimistic, in another environment/season of life, you're an unobtrusive oddball. Just look across your shoulder - and you may have a glimpse of your mirrored Self sitting on a low stool and when looked on, raising his questioning eyes to you...

It seems to me Joseph Conrad had written this unearthy psychological thriller using one of the episodes in his energetic seaman's career (as his biography suggests). If about his profound insight, he, beleivably being a weather-worn seaman with a fast grip on the knowledge of the sea, captainship and team spirit which invariably arose during long hours of sea-faring, must have developed such (an insight) into the nature of the things on board that he had to pour us, keen readers, with its human and humane depths. Another matter is found in comparing The Secret Sharer with the writer's another masterpiece "The Heart of Darkness" where a similar picture of the inner lining of human psychology is given, and even the title of it is explicit in referring to what people say about what is going on in the others' minds, that is "The other man's soul is dark". The central theme of Secret Sharer can be equalized to that of A Starge Story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Stevenson, i.e. human duplicity, our own doppelganger, and added to that a problem of self-assertion in a troubled sea of life. And, finally, there is a conventional theory, that man can embody different characters in respect to his age, conditions, frame of mind - one time you're robustly optimistic, in another environment/season of life, you're an unobtrusive oddball. Just look across your shoulder - and you may have a glimpse of your mirrored Self sitting on a low stool and when looked on, raising his questioning eyes to you...