on and feels like he has someone he can relate to on the ship. He refers to Legatt as his double numerous times because he says they look so much alike. When Legatt first enters the ship the Captain gives him a sleeping suit identical to his and it fit him perfectly. Some very great similarities can be seen from this and it appears that the Captain and Legatt are one and the same person “One of my hands, too, rested on the end of the skylight...the strange Captain having a quiet confabulation by the wheel with his own gray ghost”(730). This quote suggests that the Captain may be imagining Legatt to have someone on the ship to confide in and not to be the only stranger on the ship. The Captain hides Legatt in his quarters for a few days and becomes almost inseparable from him, which in turn makes the crew dislike him even more because they perceive him as strange and unpredictable. The biggest fear the Captain has is the steward finding the “secret sharer” in his cabin. When the steward comes to clean the Captains cabin Legatt hides in the closet sitting very still on a little stool. One day as the Captain watches Legatt he notices how awkwardly still he is sitting with his head bowed down the Captain says he looks almost inhuman. The Captain also refers to Legatt’s movements “ghostly” many times almost as if he isn’t really there at all.It makes no difference at all to the meaning of the story whether Legatt is actually a real human being or just an imagination of the Captain. The Captain still gets his strength and ability to become a good Captain and a good leader through Legatts friendship. Whether or not Legatt really exists is irrelevant to the meaning of the story because the Captain become a better person, finds the confidence he needs and saves his ship to become the hero to his crew through Legatt....
