The Secret Agent: Chapters 8-10

Analysis:

The character of Stevie had an interesting development throughout the book. Joseph Conrad, through Stevie gave the reader an idea about the way degenerates were treated in Victorian London. However, in the last few chapters, the author through the symbolism of the “clock” and the “circles”, Conrad foreshadows the character’s death. The foreshadow starts with Stevie’s revelation on his view on society: “Trying to express the view newly opened to his sympathies of the human and equine misery in close association” (The Secret Agent, pg 157). Stevie being a degenerate could not express his view however, had many insightful thoughts to everyone throughout the book quite ignored. The phrase “view newly-opened” expresses the revelation that Stevie had when he saw the man hitting his horses. And by calling him “Poor brute, poor people” (The Secret Agent, pg 157), instead of blaming the man, Stevie pitied him. The author continues with “It did not seem forcible enough, and he came to a stop with an angry splutter: ‘Shame!’ Stevie… lacked clearness and precision”(The Secret Agent, pg 157). Through Stevie’s “angry splutter” the author emphasizes on Stevie’s frustration from not only being ignored and not being able to express his views, but mainly towards society.  Despite the frustration those words gave Stevie “greater completeness and some profundity”(The Secret Agent, pg 157).

Joseph Conrad in the next few lines expresses Stevie’s sense of moral. He had a very view on what is right and wrong. One of his views was “Stevie knew what is was to be beaten. He knew it fro experience. It was a bad world. Bad! Bad!” (The Secret Agent, pg 157). The repetition of “bad” expresses the clear view that Stevie had due to his experience. His experience was his father treating him unjustly. And eventually Stevie does put together “Bad world for poor people” and that “somebody, he felt, ought to be punished for it – punished with great severity” (The Secret Agent, pg 157), the repetition of “punished” shows the urgency of the view Stevie put across. In addition, the phrase “great severity” shows his determination towards making the world a more righteous place. Furthermore, Stevie was a “moral creature” and thus was at the “mercy of his righteous passions” (The Secret Agent, pg 157). The author through these lines conveys the way Stevie had innocent insights on society; however, this innocence eventually gets him killed. Stevie also felt that the police were “a sort of benevolent institution for the suppression of evil” (The Secret Agent, pg 158). Despite that because of decided opinion and the police not helping the cabman Stevie “was irritated, too, by a suspicion of duplicity of the members of the force.”  (The Secret Agent, pg 158) The author thus remarked, “For Stevie was frank and as open as the day himself”, the simile emphasized on the innocent nature of Stevie.

Through the symbolism of the “clock”; the “circles” and the innocent nature, Conrad foreshadows Stevie’s death. Stevie looked up to Mr. Verloc as an ideal because his mother and Mrs. Verloc  “had established, erected, consecrated it”(The Secret Agent, pg 160), the alliteration emphasizes on the way the thought had been deep-rooted the view was. Further after the author establishes this fact after Mr. Verloc went away for a while Stevie would start at the clock. The author describes the setting as “ with his knees drawn up and his head in his hands. To come upon his pallid face, with its gleaming in the dusk, was discomposing” (The Secret Agent, pg 167). The use of “pallid” conveys as if Stevie was waiting for someone or something. As if he was waiting for time to pass by for something to happen. The clock is a symbol for his death as clocks also symbolize the amount of time as person has.  Stevie also “moped in the striking fashion of an unhappy domestic animal”(The Secret Agent, 167), here the author degrades the character; however, only to portray the unhappy state of Stevie. Also, whenever an animal mopes around one place for too long also shows that the animal from the inside knows that it is about die. And after Mr. Verloc came back Stevie “no longer moped longer at the foot of the clock”(The Secret Agent, pg 168), instead he “at odd times clenched his fists…scowling at the wall, with the sheet of paper and the pencil given to him for drawing circles lying blank and idle on the kitchen table.” (The Secret Agent, pg 168) The “circles” are a symbol of his understanding of the interwoven social and political society. Stevie through these circles defined his morals and viewed each circle as a connected chaos in the interwoven network of society. As he understood the cruel world better and to end the chaos he decided to take part in Mr. Verloc's plan. The reason behind Stevie’s eagerness behind Mr. Verloc’s plan was because he believed that someone ought to pay, his innocent morals and his admiration for Mr. Verloc. He felt the need to mean something and thus his eagerness and anger got him killed.

Through Stevie the author shows the way degenerates were misunderstood and thus ignored. Even though Stevie’s sister believed Stevie was excited, she never bothered towards the insights the Stevie gave. Mr. Verloc only noticed him when Mrs. Verloc told him that “he would go through fire for you”. And because, of this Mr. Verloc instead takes that comment literally and puts the boy in a tricky situation. In Conclusion, the author systematically puts across Stevie’s situation in the book that, which makes the reader sympathize with the degenerate.

Citation:

1. Conrad, Joseph. The Secret Agent. Toronto, Ontario: Broadview Press, 2009