The Secret Agent’s mood is laden, throughout, with an atmosphere of looming negativity. It’s a novel where every turn of the page drips with trepidation and unease. Conrad meticulously constructs this mood, which grows from a sense of discomfort at the beginning of the book to outright dread by its end. From the outset, readers feel frustrated as the narrator cloaks events in uncertainty. This tension is everywhere, causing them to question the motivations behind every action and circumstance. The psychological complexities of characters—from their deepest despairs, which are many, to their transient moments of hope—regularly elevate or plunge the mood between peaks of relative happiness and peace to valleys of disillusionment and horror.
The reader’s emotional journey through the book is nothing short of a roller-coaster of emotions. At times, there are deceptive moments that foreshadow better things to come for Conrad’s unhappy cast, suggesting a glimmer of positivity or resolution. However, these are almost always squashed by unforeseen outcomes.
As the story progresses, the overarching atmosphere darkens, culminating in a profound sense of hopelessness where even strong characters become beaten down by circumstance. This mood reflects Conrad's political aims. The novel is a representation of a decaying society where the structures and institutions intended to keep people safe are swiftly crumbling. By the end—although certain characters like the Professor remain unaltered in their convictions and behaviors—almost everyone else has undergone irrevocable, negative transformations. The reader feels sadness for the tragedy of the Verloc family, and perhaps even disillusioned about the possibilities of governmental or social reform. The Secret Agent is not, by any means, a cheerful novel. Its depressing message mirrors the difficulty of making real social change.
