My Opinions on "The Secret Agent"

I read The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. I really enjoyed this book because of how the plot flows and the events that occur are easy to comprehend compared to other books I read in AP Lit such as: The Tale of Two Cities and Their Eyes were watching God. Joseph Conrad wasn’t really my favorite author because of the style of writing he uses. His sentences are very long, he uses very deep descriptions of characters, and he uses complex vocabulary that is challenging to an average high school student. The structure of this story is different and it takes a while to catch on to it. It is like a book that you want to finish as soon as possible and get it over with. The first few chapters were just introducing the family and the conversation between Verloc and Vladimir. There was no action. But after chapter four actions begins to rise and the reader will soon be able to identify the conflicts and themes. Conrad’s novel was based on the political system of England and had some historical significance. The bombing of the Greenwich Observatory was based on a real event that happen in 1894 and the character Stevie was derived from the French anarchist Martial Bourdin. *Spoiler Alert* One of my favorite scene (as well as the Climax) was when Verloc revealed that the bomb that went off had killed Stevie and he was the person who trained Stevie to carry it. The character I despise the most is Ossipan. Although he was a secondary character, his actions in the end were harsh and cruel. How could you confess that you love someone and desert them in the end? Love is love, right? I seriously thought that Ossipan would come and help Winnie but he did the exact opposite. This story can be portrayed as a tragedy. All of the main characters (Stevie, Verloc, Winnie) died in the end and we feel pity for all the characters. Some people consider Verloc as a tragic hero while others believed that Winnie is the tragic hero. It could be both since they all demonstrated the characteristics of a tragic hero and died for a cause in the end. They all suffered and somehow changed from the experience. Overall, I do want to recommend this book to all the readers who enjoys terrorism, tragedy, and politics.