"The Secret Agent" by Joseph Conrad

The Secret Agent, written by Joseph Conrad, was a very intriguing book that led on a journey to life in London of 1886. The book tells about the story of Adolf Verloc, a businessman, as well as a secret agent. Mr. Verloc is part of a group of anarchists who believe in overthrowing the government and who also function as inadequate terrorists. However, he is not only a member of a terrorist organization but also an agent provocateur for a foreign country (22). Mr.Verloc was faced with a life-changing decision affecting not only himself but also everyone surrounding him. He learns that his choice formed a large ripple that hit all his loved ones. I was attracted to this book the most because of the perspective that was given to each character, along with the diverse style of writing Conrad wrote with. The book held much enthusiasm and action while providing an important theme and lesson.

To begin with, the way in which the author composed the book was quite impressive as well as unusual. The Secret Agent was unlike any regular book, not having a distinct protagonist nor antagonist. Conrad did not side with any of the characters but rather just merely introduced each of their ideas. However, he went his way and gave much depth and outlook to each of the characters. All the actions of the cast were overseen by their motives and opinions. They all supposed that their works were what benefited the moment the best. For instance, Adolf Verloc, the secret agent, only had one care, and that was to make money. His way of doing so was made up of laziness and deceitfulness. He thought that people's only value lied in how useful they were. Therefore to him, being an agent provocateur was the correct thing as long as he made money and was being used to the government (47). Another example lies with Winnie, Verloc's wife. Although Winne was a loyal and devoted wife, her first priority was her mentally disabled brother, Stevie. She had surrendered many things to be able to provide for her brother. Therefore, when she learned of her brothers' death in the bombing, her immediate thought process was killing her own husband who was behind it all (241). To her, she was simply just protecting her brother. None of the characters were pure evil, but at the same time, they were neither sympathetic or heroic. Although this is unlike most stories, it gave this novel a more realistic and relatable tale.

There was much energy and enthusiasm all through The Secret Agent. The excitement and mysteriousness never stopped while reading the novel. In the first stages of the book, we learn that Verloc needs to inaugurate an attack on the Greenwich Observatory (27). Suddenly in the next chapter, we learn that this attack has already taken place and that the person carrying the bomb had blown himself up. We are led to think that Verloc is the person who has blown himself up. However, all of a sudden it turns out that there were actually two people who got off the train and that Verloc escaped (194)! The amount of drama is all caused because of their inability to understand one another. Verloc took Stevie for granted and got him killed (197). His further inability to understand Winnie's love for her brother gets him killed, and finally, Winnie's unwillingness to look beyond the surface of things keeps her from becoming suspicious when Verloc takes her brother out into the country (139). This novel was also very ironic and satirical. The title of the novel was The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale. In reality, though, the story is the complete opposite of simple. It was filled plot twists of all sorts along with highly complicated characters. The title is interesting because although the book deals with very complex issues in an often confusing way Conrad still decided to name it "A Simple Tale".

Although it seems that the author does not contribute much compassion to the characters in this book, compassion is a fundamental theme in The Secret Agent. It is especially through Stevie and Michaelis that Conrad tries to figure out if people in the modern world are even capable of looking after one another. Without uncertainty, Stevie and Michaelis are both remarkably compassionate. However, although they do everything in their power, they can not make the world a better place (159). In The Secret Agent, Conrad suggests that true compassion might very well exist, but it will be destroyed and exploited by a world full of bad people. The theme of devotion appears mostly in two characters: Winnie Verloc and her mother. They both show a very deep affection to Stevie, but we should not mix their loyalty with Stevie's compassion (161). Stevie's compassion is brought from a connection with the earth, while Winnie and her mother's' protectiveness toward him is more of a duty. Finally, the theme that we take a lesson away from is lying and deceitfulness. Lies and deceit are a secret agent's main tools for living. The whole social order seems to be based on lies and deceit. To the characters, it appears that the winners in life are the ones who use these lies to their advantage. However, if you read the whole story this statement turns out to be completely false. Not only did any of the characters reach their main achievement, but they also lost their lives. Being dishonest can never lead you to ultimately winning anything. It rather damages yourself even more and drives your goal further away.

I fully advocate reading Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent because it brought to experience so much more than just a spy novel. It gave so much more than a mediocre story. The characters were so genuinely defined and thought out, with each of them coming with their own purpose along with belief. The action and excitement never stopped while reading the book. All throughout there was an intriguing scene ready to happen. And while there was all that, the themes never seemed to disappear. There were compassion, devotion, and deceit. All of them tieing the writing together. Through these themes, we are able to learn about honesty. Along with all the actions and themes, the book managed to be ironic. Giving the title of the book a name that is the opposite of the description. This novel contributes so much more than any usual book. It provides a taste of all types of expressions. Hence, I strongly suggest Joseph Conrad's work for all it has to offer.