Abstract
This paper describes Herman Melville's novel "Billy Budd" as a non-allegorical story of the intersection of three characters (Billy Budd, Claggart and Captain Vere). The paper argues that each man is compelled to act as he does by internal and external forces.

From the Paper
"While many critics tend to read Herman Melville's "Billy Budd" as an allegory, this is but one possible approach to what can also be understood as a realistic story of how human nature and human psychology functions under conditions of crisis and stress. Melville's allegory rests upon the assumption that Billy Budd represents some type of Noble Sailor or handsome Sailor who must be sacrificed to the common good. Conversely, examining the characters of Budd, Captain Vere and Claggart, Billy's nemesis, one..."

Tags:Herman Melville, Billy Budd, Sailor

Abstract
This paper analyzes and examines Herman Melville's novel "Billy Budd" as a Christian allegory. It shows the ways in which the characters of Vere, Billy, and Claggart parallel biblical figures of Pilate, Jesus, and Satan and how the allegory is developed thematically.

From the Paper
"The purpose of this research is to examine Herman Melville's novel "Billy Budd" as a Christian allegory. The plan of the research will be to set forth the pattern of ideas in the novel and then to discuss means by which the allegorical elements of the narrative surface in respect of not only ways in which the characters can be analyzed as analogues of specific biblical figures but also how the theme of redemptive and otherwise sociologically unmerited suffering defines the moral scope o faction and enables the..."

Tags:allegory, Melville, Billy Budd, Claggart, Jesus, Christian, Pilate, Satan, character analysis

Abstract
This paper discusses why Herman Melville's novel "Billy Budd" is not an allegory. The paper examines various interpretations of the novel, from repressed homosexuality, to the conflict between good and evil, to Marx and Darwin.

From the Paper
"There are many different approaches taken by literary critics to a close reading of Herman Melville's "Billy Budd" among which Eric Goldman includes the Manichean portrayal of conflict between good and evil, an illustration of the dialectical materialism of Marxism, a modern allegory of the Crucifixion and a psychodrama about repressed homosexual desire. The book has also been interpreted more recently by examining the significance of Darwinian discourse which Thomas Hove says is particularly important because the book explores a..."

Tags:Herman Melville, Billy Budd, allegory

Abstract
The paper offers an analysis of the conflict between the individual and society as it is portrayed in Melville's story, "Billy Budd." 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, Billy Budd

Abstract
The paper attempts to determine who was responsible for Billy Budd'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."

Tags:Captain, Vere, Claggart, Royal, Navy, justice

Abstract
This paper discusses the influence of the young, virtuous sailor Billy Budd on other members of the crew of the Bellipotent, including Captain Vere, Claggart, the Seargant-at-Arms and others. Billy's biggest influence is argued to be his ability to get experienced seamen to question their allegience to authority from a consideration of moral rightness or wrongness of an action.

From the Paper
"In Herman Melville's "Billy Budd", an innocent and attractive young man is pressed into service on the Bellipotent sailing ship under the authority of Captain Vere. We are told Billy's aura of innocence and goodness is so great that upon first sight of him, Captain Vere equates him to a young Adam before the Fall. Unaware of the evil that is in some men's hearts because of his innocence and virtue, Billy is vulnerable to the hatred and envy of Claggart. Claggart's jealousy..."

Tags:Christ, Adam, compassion, forgiveness, guilt, mutiny, law, discipline, evil, condemned

Abstract
This paper begins by outlining the plot of the novel. The author continues to offer an extensive study on the underlying themes of "Billy Budd". 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."

Tags:literature, navy, theme, justice, ethics

Abstract
This paper argues that the writing style used in "Billy Budd" 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 "Billy Budd" was used in such a manner to denote a greater sense of significance within specific parts of the story.

Abstract
The most striking feature of the collective body of critical response to "Billy Budd" is the sheer volume of differing interpretations of the piece's symbolism. Despite the profusion of differing opinions regarding "Billy Budd", 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.

Tags:melville's, symbolism

Abstract
This essay will argue that it is possible to read "Billy Budd" 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 Billy Budd 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.