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Thus, Melville clearly portrays Billy as the greatest of innocents, infused with godlike looks and a pure heart. As this type of a character is realistically unlikely, many readers can quickly interpret Billy to be, therefore, a symbol of innocence. Indeed, even in his hanging Billy's image remains intact, as his last words are: "God Bless Captain Vere" (1426).
This innocence, however, meets with the harsh ruling of justice. Indeed, as Billy leaves the merchant vessel, the Rights of Man, during his impressment, the author foreshadows that Billy, will, indeed loose his rights. As innocent as Melville paints Billy, he paints justice as gruesome. The circumstances that lead to Claggart's murder at Billy's hands are no fault of Billy's, and are planned by Claggart himself. From their first acquaintance, Billy finds himself "getting into petty trouble" because Claggart does not like Billy (1377). Furthermore, Claggarrt's determination to taint Billy's name with the accusation of conspiracy to commit mutiny was born, most likely, out of the master-at-arm's hatred for the young Adonis, a hatred that the readers can assume was as a result...
Thus, one can argue that punch Billy throws, which causes Claggartt his life, was actually caused by Claggartt himself, as the master-of-arms so confounded, astonished, and angered an innocent Billy. Indeed, Goldman calls the master-of-arms "a Satanic Claggartt whose destructive is disruptive, willful, and patently evil" (431). Despite these dark and gruesome happenings, however, Billy Budd suffers the most gruesome of fates hanging at sea. Thus, while Billy certainly received the just punishment for his actions, the gruesome nature of this justice superimposed against the purity of Billy's character allow Melville to suggest that justice is a subjective process, in which mitigating factors should play a role.
Works Cited
Goldman, Eric. "Bringing out the Beast in Melville's Billy Budd: The Dialogue of Darwinian and "Holy" Lexicons on Board the Bellipotent. Studies in the Novel. 36.4 (2005): 430-442.
Melville, Herman. "Billy Budd, Sailor." Literary Classics of the United States: Melville.
Ed. Harrison Hayford. New York: Literary Classics of…
Works Cited
Goldman, Eric. "Bringing out the Beast in Melville's Billy Budd: The Dialogue of Darwinian and "Holy" Lexicons on Board the Bellipotent. Studies in the Novel. 36.4 (2005): 430-442.
Melville, Herman. "Billy Budd, Sailor." Literary Classics of the United States: Melville.
Ed. Harrison Hayford. New York: Literary Classics of the United States, 1984. 1351-1435.
Billy Budd Herman Melville's "Billy Budd" -- Guilty as Charged! With this singular word, "guilty" the reader draws his or her breath in horror, when contemplating the moral character of Billy Budd against the character of the sailor's accusers and also those who judge him according to the naval code of law. Yet if the author of this paper sat alongside Chief Justice of the Court of Naval Review and, after all
Billy Budd Before Referencing Herman Melville's Billy Budd: A Perfect Storm of Injustice Who is responsible for Billy Budd's death? Discuss how Captain Vere, Claggart and Billy himself all contribute to Billy's downfall. Herman Melville's 1891 seafaring novella Billy Budd is a Christian allegory, transposed into the relatively contemporary setting of a British naval vessel. The Christian Bible details the death of Christ as a series of betrayals and injustices. The popular leader
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Billy Budd, Sailor There are many themes to be considered in Herman Melville's story of Billy Budd; individualism verses society, the vulnerability of innocence, and conscience verses law. In this paper we will explore the latter in the context of the time and setting of the story. There is a scene in chapter 21 where a small drumhead court is assembled by Captain Vere to consider the fate of Billy after he
They will say that Vere was only doing his duty to keep open rebellion and mutiny from occurring on his ship. I say he is lucky no such mutiny arose following his cynical judgment upon Billy. Billy Budd was a sailor beloved of all who met him. That Vere judged him guilty should have provoked the crew to judge Vere unfit for command. Such would have been fitting. But the