Post-WW2 Masterpieces: The Third Man & The Secret Sharer - Essay Sample

Introduction

The third man film and the secret sharer novel are the most distinctive art of work in the post-world war two era. The third man was produced in 1949 and was centered in Vienna. It is focused on crime and investigations as the characters are keenly used to bring out these virtues throughout the film (Drazin). The secret sharer as a novel was written and produced between 1909 and 1912. The story is based in the Gulf of Siam, located in the western china sea, found in the west of the Pacific Ocean (Conrad). After elaborate evaluation of the two-art works, one can point out some similarities and differences that are evident throughout one's reading or watching. This paper will help bring out some of the similar and different settings proved by the two sets of art.

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A mystery is a situation that is beyond human understanding and explanation. In movies and readings, it is usually demonstrated using puzzling crimes that would take more than the human effort to solve, specifically murder. As portrayed in the film, the third man, Holly Martins, is taken aback by the mysterious death of his childhood friend Lime, who had also invited him to go work in Vienna. Due to the close tie the two had, he feels moved and gets to the action, trying to put pieces of his death together with a motive of catching his friends' killers since he thought that he did not just die but was killed. He has no information on this and is in a foreign land with no friends to help. In the novel, the secret sharer, the mystery is delineated using Leggatt and the skipper. Leggatt had accidentally killed his crew member aboard the Sephora during an altercation. He got arrested and detained in the ship; however, he manages to escape and get missing amid search by the skipper. He got to the narrator's ship to seek help and refuge, for he feared the skipper would get him and take him home to face the justice system. The disappearance of Leggatt brings out the mystery in the story. The skipper confesses to having been at sea for over forty years and has never seen anything wild like the disappearance of Leggatt.

Manipulation is the act of gaining control or cleverly obtaining one's trust in the victims' advantages. From the third man film, manipulation is depicted by how Lime took advantage of martin. He made martin come to Vienna to take advantage of his arrival by faking his death to buy him more time to continue stealing military penicillin. Lime knew that the presence of his friend in Vienna would shift heads and point of focus and thus would give him and his racket the adequate time needed to continue their theft since his friend was an excellent comic play writer who was loved by many. From the secret sharer, manipulation is set forth at the narrator's ship. He meets, Leggatt who has been hanging on his ship's rope in the water since nine o'clock. Since the captain is an understating man with natural human virtues, Leggatt takes that advantage and puts out his story to the captain with the motive he could feel for him. Surprisingly, the captain is moved by his story and offers him his room and food even though it could also cost him his rank and job. He yet lies to the skipper who came looking for Leggatt.

From the two sets of acts, we can point out cordial characters. Someone cordial is supposedly friendly, warm, and with strong feelings. From the secret sharer, the captain shows a cordial virtue in him. He offers his bed, food, and even lies to help Leggatt get to his intended destination at the expense of his work. From the third man film, Martins is a cordial man. He sprang into action to know the reason and people behind his friend's death. He is moved by the news of Lime's death and his intentions and motives of investigating it show how cordial he was to his friend. The two clearly show the epic definition of amiable, for it entails loving others beyond self.

Outrage is defined as an excessively strong reaction of shock towards something. From the two sets under review, the outrage feeling can be pointed out based on a precise analysis of the items at hand. The virtue is depicted in the secret sharer using both the skipper and the narrator. The skipper has been at sea for more than four decades, is shook by the mysterious disappearance of Leggatt from their Sephora. He had never experienced it before and had never fathomed experiencing it. The same shocking feeling gets brought out in the film, the third man using anna and Martins. Martins is shaken on seeing and learning that his mysteriously dead friend is alive. He is taken aback and feels betrayed. The same experience is seen with anna when she is told of her lovers' activities.

After going through the two materials, one can notice survival in both cases. Survival is the act of going on to live despite the ordeals one encounters in life. From the novel, the secret sharer, the theme of survival, is clearly outlined throughout the story. Leggatt's ability to swim in the deep ocean waters and stay afloat while fleeing the skipper and attempting to obtain refuge is a pure definition of survival. Survival can be detested from the captain's act of trying to secure Leggatt a safe passage. There presents itself the danger of losing his job and rank if caught but offers help while certain of the consequences. From the film, the third man, survival, is brought to picture by Lime's story. He fakes his death, moves through dug sewers so he could be alive since it is known he is dead. He tries to kill Martins, his friend, and even tries to escape the authorities. His determination to make it out amidst all these is unfathomable.

The film and the novel have a list of differences in them that brings out the distinguishing features to the reader. Through the readings, one can clearly outline and analyze the two sets adequately without conflict of information. Some of these differences include accountability in the novel, the secret sharer. Leggatt, the character being pursued having killed his fellow crewman, manages to escape without being taken to his country to face the law for killing. However, in the third man film, Lime gets hunted down for his wrongdoings. He even threatened his friend Martins, but unfortunately, towards the end, it is Martins who kills him after getting wounded. His real death justifies the punishment for the wrongs he had done, including having children treated with his diluted penicillin that kills them.

After thoroughly reading through the secret sharer, trust is vividly displayed by the casts. The captain, however, accused of getting ranks through connections rather than sailing like his fellows, orders the other crew members to let him take control of the anchor till one o'clock. Although they display a little bit of doubt in them, they do as he had commanded, showing that they trusted him in as much as they doubted him. The opposite is displayed in the film, the third man. Martins receive hostility from the people and authorities of Vienna. They even question his motives, thinking that he works with his supposedly dead friend. Amidst this hostility, he maneuvers his way through and gets to connect with Lime, whom he later kills after threatening him and becoming a threat to his life and that of the people of Vienna.

Cooperation is the act of getting prompt assistance from other individuals to help achieve a course. From the two items under scrutiny, one can denote the difference in terms of cooperation as outlined in the sets. In the film, the third man, there is laxity and inadequate collaboration. After Martins sets out to find the truth concerning Lime's death, he is met by a lack of cooperation from the eyewitnesses and the authorities. Even anna Lime's fiancee does not cooperate with him on this, the vice versa of what he expected of her and many others. Alternatively, cooperation is vividly captured in the novel, the secret sharer. The captain, who is the narrator in the book, cooperates with Leggatt. Now a fugitive to escape the pursuit by his Sephora skipper. He faces the law for the accidental murder of a colleague.

The more in-depth analysis brings out the difference of information and value of the storyline adopted by the two different entities. The novel, the secret sharer, chronicles the old-fashioned talks of sea exploits made by the explorers of the world, it entails a captain, ship, crew, and unfathomable sea events that were told by the travelers. In the past, before the invention of planes, sea travel was the primary mode of transport in the world. As exploration went by, the travelers had different experiences that they could get to tell once their ships docked. Alternatively, the film, the third man, paints the current world events. The storyline details mysterious death, stealing of military penicillin, a racketeer, and shoddy investigations. From the events of the film, we can relate the current world activities by governments, cooperate societies, racketeers, and individuals. People fake their death, and racketeers make illegal earnings from shoddy deals, government forces conduct unconvincing investigations, etcetera.

The two sets have different ending themes. The third man film outlines the end by the killing of Lime by his friend Martins. Such was on request by the authorities who had asked for his help in capturing Lime. The end also marked by the scene of the children dying of diluted penicillin treatment marking an end to such deaths as Martins is shown the success; he brought the people of Vienna. The novel depicts an end to search as the captain risks his life and that of the entire crew. It is by bringing the ship too close to the shore. Such increasing the possibility that it would lead to a catastrophe if it hit anything. It also brought out the theme of a narrow escape as the captain helped Leggatt escape the pursuit of Sephon's skipper.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the two sets of stories have beautiful themes that bring to light the realities of our healthy livelihoods. As humans, we get to interact with different people and make friends. Some might end up betraying us just like Lime did to Martins, while others might not. Some of the strangers we meet in our daily encounter could help us sail through our problems just like the captain did with Leggatt. We are not assured of an utterly comprehensive world, but we are tasked with making the most out of everything we do. The book and the film would be a great source of reference when in search of life lessons and how to deal with every good and worst situation.

Works Cited

Drazin, Charles. "In Search of the Third Man." New York: Limelight Editions, 2000. Print.

Conrad, Joseph. "The Secret Sharer." Tustin: Xist Publishing, 2015. Internet resource.