Abstract The paper offers an analysis of the conflict between the individual and society as it is portrayed in Melville's story, "BillyBudd." The paper explains the story of an innocent sailor who is condemned to death due to his vulnerability to the forces of evil.
From the Paper "The idealism in Melville's "Billy Budd" revolves around the conflict between the individual and society and the vulnerability of innocence. Billy Budd is a twenty-one-year-old sailor who is idealistic, innocent and incapable of perceiving evil intentions in others. Good looking and emitting a virtue of character sugaring the sour of his nature, Billy is vulnerable to the evil on board the H M S Bellipotent in the form of the Master-at-Arms Claggart."
Tags: law, order, liberties, death, naivety, control, war, Melville, BillyBudd
Abstract The paper attempts to determine who was responsible for BillyBudd's death in Melville's short story of the same name. The paper shows how the characters of Captain Vere and Claggart, the rigidity of the naval system of justice, and Billy himself, all contributed to Billy's downfall.
From the Paper "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 and teacher Christ is betrayed by one of his own followers, Judas, and is handed over by the leadership of his own nation to the Roman judge Pontius Pilate. Pilate washes his hands of his responsibility for a man whom he believes is innocent, because Christ will not verbally defend himself, and because the Roman authorities have charged him with preserving order amongst the populace. Pilate acquiesces, going against his better moral instincts."
Abstract This paper begins by outlining the plot of the novel. The author continues to offer an extensive study on the underlying themes of "BillyBudd". It examines Yoder's theory on naval justice and in conclusion, explores military ethics through Melville's text.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Conventional Reading of Budd: Why it is Wrong to Read Budd as a Fable
Yoder's theory: the centrality of impressment
Impressment: Budd must as a clash of two social ethical systems or cultures, not in literary or allegorical terms
Works Cited
From the Paper "However, the presence of literary parallels does not do sufficient justice "all the battles about the moral and political vision at the heart of the tale" that swirl around one question: Are we supposed to admire or condemn Captain Vere for his decision to sentence Billy Budd to death by public hanging, according to an ethical system that may be valid, but that Budd does not either understand nor agree to. In his essay "Billy Budd and Capital Punishment," like Yoder, Franklin sets forth the issue of how to contextualize Budd as a specific narrative of situation, not as a moral dilemma with allusions to Shakespeare and the Bible."
Abstract This paper discusses the contrasts between the three central characters in the story, BillyBudd, Claggert, and Captain Vere. It explores the development in the plot and how each character's true traits come out through their ultimate actions. It focuses on Captain Vere's character as one that is seemingly noble and good, but his final decision proves him to be otherwise.
From the paper:
"A closer examination of the novel brings to light certain aspects of each character that are quite opposite to the ones that they symbolize. BillyBudd symbolizes Good. His character is not without fault. The aspects of simplicity and blind faith in the goodness of the world, in his personality lead to his demise. His immaturity breeds curiosity and lacks the far sightedness to listen to the good advice given by the Dansker. Hence, despite the Dansker's warnings he is unable to see Claggert as his nemesis. His stuttering is also portrayed as a fault that caused his death instead of accepting it as a handicap."
Abstract The most striking feature of the collective body of critical response to "BillyBudd" is the sheer volume of differing interpretations of the piece's symbolism. Despite the profusion of differing opinions regarding "BillyBudd", there are two main schools of thought that most scholarly responses tend to represent. In this paper, I will briefly outline both of these critical theories and the principal symbols that support each.
Abstract This essay will argue that it is possible to read "BillyBudd" on a number of levels. Of course, it is an interesting tale of shipboard life at the end of the eighteenth century. As well, it may be seen as an allegory for the life of Christ, with the virtuous, innocent and inarticulate BillyBudd standing in for Christ. On yet another level it may be seen as a story of innocent virtue versus experienced corruption and impotence. In this respect, Melville's intended American audience may have read the story as tale of the corruption of the Old World and its decaying cosmopolitan civilization.
Abstract This paper argues that the writing style used in "BillyBudd" was chosen by Melville so he could best address those aspects of the story structure that required a strong degree of comprehension on the part of the reader. This paper demonstrates that Melville's writing style in "BillyBudd" was used in such a manner to denote a greater sense of significance within specific parts of the story.
Abstract This paper explains that the plot of Herman Melville's "BillyBudd" revolves around the central axis of the war between good and evil by using Biblical and mythical allusions. The author relates that, although BillyBudd seems to be the innocent character, from a religious point of view he becomes guilty after committing an involuntary crime. The paper concludes that the central message of the story is that natural innocence is to be preferred instead of moral truth.
From the Paper "The character of Billy Budd is drafted on an opposition between the natural and the religious truth. He is at once portrayed as a noble savage, with a natural charm and a baffling innocence. Billy attracts everyone through his natural and pure character, but at the same time, he inspires some of the others with sinful feelings of either desire or envy. His shipmates and the captain also are irresistibly drawn towards Billy as to something incredibly pure and innocent. His beauty also emphasizes the idea that he represents natural perfection. He represents nature in its pristine form, untouched by the usual tinges of civilization. In shape, he seems to be descended from the "unadulterated blood of Ham", an ideal representation of nature and savageness, with an intensely black skin:"[He was] so intensely black that he must needs have been a native African of the unadulterated blood of Ham. A symmetric figure much above the average height."(Melville, 2) His shipmates swarm around him, attracted irresistibly by his natural virtue and sweetness: "Not that he preached to them or said or did anything in particular; but a virtue went out of him
Abstract This paper discusses Herman Melville's story "BillyBudd" which took him 3 years to complete. It analyzes the two main characters of the story, Budd and Claggart, as well as dwells upon some of the many symbols and themes found throughout the book.
From the Paper "Although Billy Budd is portrayed as the epitome of innocence, he is not na?ve. He is a popular man, who has no problems dealing with other men. He is ??illiterate and ignorant even of whom his father was, since he is a foundling, in whom, nevertheless, "noble descent" is as evident as ?in a blood horse.?? (Chase, 157) Budd does not seem to be aware of this however, as Melville portrays him as an instinctively "upright barbarian" and an image ?of young Adam before the Fall.? It is apparent that Melville is thinking in Biblical terms when he comments that a person of such untainted innocence seems to have been ?exceptionally transmitted from a period prior to Cain's city and citified man.? (Chase, 157)".
This paper touches on the theme of good versus evil in "BillyBudd" by Herman Melville. It explains how Billy is the symbol of ultimate good and Claggart is the symbol of ultimate evil.
1,225 words (approx. 4.9 pages), 5 sources, 2001, $ 41.95
Abstract This paper discusses the age-old concept of good versus evil in the book, "BillyBudd", by Herman Melville. The author provides an overview of the characters of the protagonist and antagonist, who respectively personify good and evil. Biblical parallels as drawn as well.
From the Paper "Good versus evil is a very common theme in many different types of literature. One literary work which portrays the battle between good and evil very affectively is Billy Budd by Herman Melville. In this novel, good is portrayed through the character of Billy, while the character of Claggart portrays evil. The battle between good and evil is personified through the characters of Claggart and Billy."
Abstract This paper discusses whether Herman Melville's novel "BillyBudd" was allegorical. The novel did have religious connotations, however, Billy was not really like Christ, Vere was not God-like, and Claggart was not as bad as Satan. The author explores this notion and asserts that the novel was not an allegorical one.
Abstract This paper discusses the theme of justice as observed in Herman Melville's book, "BillyBudd" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, "The Scarlet Letter". The paper examines what can be learned from these two novels, explaining that justice for the sake of justice can often be cruel and unusual punishment. The paper explores the characters of the protagonists of the two novels, Billy and Hester. The paper contends that both the authors' aim is to make a social commentary on the price of justice in an imperfect world.
From the Paper "Herman Melville's novel, Billy Budd, and Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter focus on justice by forcing us to consider the differences between the laws of society and the moral laws man imposes upon himself. Both stories illustrate that there is a definite distinction between social and moral laws. In addition, each author differentiates between an individual's character and his or her actions. Billy's act of murder is not so much the issue in Billy Budd as much as his innocence is. At the end of the story, we must ask if the punishment fir the crime in this case. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester is no doubt guilty of her so-called crime but we ask the same of her punishment as well. Their circumstances demonstrate how complicated the issue of justice can be in a society that must sometimes choose between the social right and the moral right."
Abstract An analysis of Herman Melville's novel "BillyBudd" centering on Melville's exploration of authority, as intertwined with other moral and philosophical issues in the novel. Extensive textual analysis is used to reveal Melville's methods of using irony and allegory. Included is a review of the novel and a discussion of the central characters.
From the Paper "In Billy Budd Melville takes on the issue of authority, complicated by other moral and philosophical issues. The key word here is complicated, as Melville, seems unable to see anything in a simple manner. To Melville, life, like the sea, is a mystery, full of unanswerable questions. As a writer, he struggles to delve more and more deeply into the mystery while we, as readers, sometimes feel we are drowning in unfathomable depths. In Billy Budd, Melville continues the quest he began forty years earlier in Moby Dick. In his white whale Melville embodied everything fearful and unknowable to man. Now at the end of his life, he has a few more words to say on these subjects. It is my belief that if one looks closely at the clues offered by the narrative structure of the story it is quite possible to identify Melville's position in relation to the moral issues addressed. In doing so, however, one must keep in mind Melville's critical attitude, his love of ambiguous allegory, his godlike inscrutability and the possibility that to modern ears his subtle satirical voice may sound like perplexing perversity."
Abstract This paper examines the novel "BillyBudd" in order to compare and contrast capital punishment in military versus civilian court. A brief history of capital punishment, differences between court procedures and views on human rights in these two systems are explored. The justification for capital punishment in the book is discussed in light of the differences between the systems.
From the Paper "In Herman Melville's novel Billy Budd, Captains Vere's personal judgment and his compliance to military law killed an innocent man. Billy Budd is a novel whose central events are tied closely to capital punishment (Laskin). Capital punishment has long been popular in both the civilian and military arena. However, court proceedings and the treatment of the concept of the right of man are very different in military and civilian courts. It is the military reliance on strict procedures and indifference to the rights of man that resulted in Captain Vere's decision to sentence the innocent Billy Budd to a public execution."
Abstract This paper analyzes the nature of good and evil in Herman Melville's novella BillyBudd. The author beleives that the main theme of the novella the concepts of good and evil and the fine line that separate between the two.
