In-depth analysis and Critical Approaches on "The Secret Agent"

         This Blog post will consist of an In-depth analysis and criticism of the Political novel by Conrad. The Novel’s main focus is on Anarchism, Terrorism, and the political system. Verloc’s main goal was to bomb the Greenwich Observatory. The fact that all of Verloc’s friends and associates were part of the Anarchism and revolution places an emphasis on the theme of going against the system and politics. This novel mentions rebellions and communism to indicate corruption in the system. The circle is a major symbol throughout the book. Even some books of The Secret Agent have circles drawn all over the cover. The circle Stevie draws, which unveils the plot, represents wholeness and infinity. It goes on forever. “innumerable circles, con centric, eccentric; a coruscating whirl of circles that by their tangled multitude of repeated curves, uniformity of form, and confusion of intersecting lines suggested a rendering of cosmic chaos, the symbolism of a mad art attempting the inconceivable.” (pg 52) Foreshadowing was one of the major literary devices in this novel. “I had to take the carving knife away from the boy….. some people don’t deserve much mercy” (pg 62) This quote spoken by Winnie foreshadows Verloc’s death when she plunges the carving knife into his heart. There are many critical approaches to this story but the two that works the best are Topical/Historical and Economic Determinist/Marxist. I mentioned briefly in the earlier blog post that this novel has historical significance. The bombing of the Greenwich Observatory was actually based on a historic event that happened in 1894. Martial Bourdin, the character Stevie was based from, was a French Anarchist who died when the bomb he was carrying prematurely detonated. The Economic Determinist/Marxism approach is the revolt of Anarchist and the political systems. You see a lot of classes in this novel such as: Verloc is a small business owner of a pornographic shop as well as an agent provocateur, the proletariats, and the Anarchist. The anarchist believed in no government control and the people should be free to do what they choose. They didn’t support the political systems so they figure a way to get rid of it. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/11/books/review/11reiss.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
This article I found online is another criticism from a different writer that is very useful in analysing this novel