Outsiders In The Secret Sharer And Porphyria's Lover

For centuries, the literary concept of “the outsider” has been portrayed through multiple pieces of work. Each author attempts to grapple with the estranged and prominent figure, yet without realizing they almost always create the outsider in a peculiarly similar approach. The outsider is a relatable figure meant to share individual’s problems in society while simultaneously representing an extreme and radical version of such an aloof character. Three writers in particular dive into the realm of the outsider through The Horse Dealer’s Daughter, “The Secret Sharer”, and “Porphyria’s Lover”, and each writer paints a significant figure in his work. The outsider is a lonely and emotionally-driven. He is also separated drastically from society,

They are each ousted from society and do not fit into its restrictive roles. For Mabel, she is a woman who must find a way to make a living in a male dominated society. Her inability to simply work alongside men make it impossible for her to seamlessly blend with societal norms. Being in the Modern period, women still had less rights than men making them easier targets for being outsiders in society especially if they refuse to fit into the restraining mold created for them. The captain and Leggatt also both represent outsiders. The captain is new and feels underprepared for his duties as a captain while Leggatt feels rejected because of his dangerous crime. Both men find it hard to relate to their crew, and they seek friendship in one another. Although a friendship blooms between the two, the criminal act that causes this friendship further divides these characters from their society. Additionally, Porphyria’s lover is the outsider. His strange demeanor and extramarital affairs allow him to represent the outsider in this poem especially during the prudish Victorian times. These characters find themselves being dangers to society and manipulating the people around them, yet society finds themselves intrigued with their odd

Potentially, the effects of loneliness and the inability to bond with his crew causes the captain to develop strange hallucinations of a friend. The captain himself even questions Leggatts existence in thinking, “It would not be true to say I had a shock, but an irresistible doubt of his bodily existence flitted through my mind (Conrad).” Conrad focuses on the instability of the captain as an outsider as well as the strong hold Leggatt had on him. Both characters inflicted death or almost caused death, and their daring maneuvers put the other characters at risk. Finally, the Victorian poem that aided in portraying the outsider in literature was “Porphyria’s Lover”. Porphyria was a beautiful girl who had been out for the night. She returns to her lover who has been waiting for her. The reader interprets that Porphyria and her lover cannot be seen together, and the lover is angered by her going out without him. Porphyria attempts to seduce her lover to reconcile, and the lover discovers her true affection for him. The lover then chokes Porphyria with her own hair in an attempt to live with Porphyria’s love