In the novel The Secret Sharer, by Joseph Conrad, a man at sea struggles with loneliness and moral dilemma. However, the narrator has saved himself on multiple levels by the end of the novel. His confidence grows as he learns about himself, as well as when he learns of Leggatt, a man much like him. Throughout the novel, Conrad uses symbolism and the thoughts of the protagonist to suggest that one must know oneself to possess a life with motivation and confidence in oneself. In Herman Melville's "Moby Dick," the story speaks about a man's journey to find a whale which he believes represents the evil of the world. The book itself is a clear representation of the American society, its values, goals, and inhabitants, as well as numerous other issues that Melville sought to challenge or come to terms with.
             In the "The Secret Sharer," we can see the character of the Captain change from an insecure person to a confident leader because of the experience with the Secret Sharer. At first, the Captain felt reluctant to give orders for fear of what his crew thought of him. The Captain then goes through a transformation experience, when he meets his "double," a man named Leggatt. After meeting Leggatt, a stowaway that committed murder, the Captain changes into a self-assured person. Through Leggatt, the Captain gets to know himself better and is no longer a stranger to himself and his crew. Shortly after meeting the Secret Sharer, the captain is feeling more confident and starts to give orders. When it is time for Leggatt to leave the ship for dry land, the Captain risks the lives of his crew for his "double" to escape. He is also not reluctant on giving orders; he no longer cares what his crew thinks about him. In Moby Dick Ahab continuously finds himself seeking to challenge his work, his personal life and the opinions of the people around him. Personally, I view Ahab not as an unstable personality, but rather as a product of the life t...