To be, or not to be

To be, or not to be According to Merrion-Webster Inc. Dictionary, a doppelgÂÆ'Â ¤nger is a double, an often ghostly or evil counterpart to a character. It comes from the German language, doppel- double + -gÂÆ'Â ¤nger goer. It might be asked, "What does a doppelgÂÆ'Â ¤nger have to do with a paper on Joseph Conrad?" The answer is a lot, especially if Conrad's "The Secret Sharer" is being discussed. In this short story, the two characters, the captain and Leggatt, share many similarities, as well as differences. When comparing the similarities and differences, they can be used to show the duality between the captain and Leggatt. Conrad used Leggatt as a doppelgÂÆ'Â ¤nger to help the captain come terms with himself.In 1880, Conrad was part of the crew of the Cutty Sark. On this ship, Sidney Smith killed a black man, John Francis. The captain of the Cutty Sark secretly helped Smith to an American ship, the Colorado.Cutty Sark on fire.