The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

Hi everyone! It's Shani here today and this week I'm reviewing The Secret Agent (1907) by Joesph Conrad. I read this novel over the summer as it is on one of my university courses and I must admit that it is one of my favourite books that during my studies thus far.

The Secret Agent focuses on the character of Mr Verloc, otherwise known as Verloc, and the work he does for a foreign government - in particular the secret agency work he does for them. It is never quite clear what government Verloc is actually working, though there has been speculation that it could possibly be the French or Russian government. Whoever Verloc is working for certainly has a hatred for England and it's values. Verloc is instructed that he must make a statement to the English people or gather useful information otherwise he is out of the job. This forces Verloc, who is also a major anarchist and is happy to undertake whatever task the government he works for asks, to take drastic action and has consequences which he could never have imagined.

For those who have not read this wonderful novel I will not spoil the plot for you, especially the most important part of the plot, however I will be talking specifically about Verloc and his wife, Winnie, and the novel as a whole. Winnie is an interesting character as she is Verloc's complete opposite, where Verloc is often cold and indifferent to pretty much every situation he finds himself in, Winnie is extremely compassionate... if anything at times she is too compassionate. Her maternal protectiveness over her brother Stevie, who is portrayed in the novel to have a form of autism (though at the time Conrad would not have been aware of that his character is autistic because there was no such diagnosis when the novel was written), is heartwarming but also strange. It seems that Winnie is reluctant to let her brother do just about anything on his own, with good reason at times, but she seems more of a mother to him than their actual mother is.

This odd relationship dynamic makes the novel end on a satisfying yet perplexing situation, and after having read the novel twice I still cannot determine how I feel. However, it seems that both Verloc and Winnie's biggest characteristics are ultimately their downfall. Verloc's cold and unaccountable personality cause an awful situation to arise, and Winnie's maternal instincts towards her brother bring everything to an end. In terms of studying human nature, Conrad really delves into the psyche of his characters and shows the reader that despite appearances people can be extremely deceiving. 

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this novel and if you're interested in conspiracy theories, a deep look into the human mind and at times it's odd workings, scapegoat plans, murder, and anarchism I would definitely recommend reading this!