Billy Budd By:Natasha Maule
In his book Billy Budd, Melville creates a very simple storyline. The sailor, Billy Budd, is taken off of a merchant ship called The Rights of Man and is pressed into naval service on the battle ship Bellipotent. He is convicted of mutiny, which he is innocent of, by Claggart, a man who is deeply jealous of him. Billy is frustrated because he cannot speak out in his own defense in front of Captain Vere without stuttering (caused by a speech impediment which comes upon him when he is excited). Acting out of frustration towards Claggart, Billy strikes him and Claggart falls dead beneath the blow. Here Captain Vere is faced with a decision as to what disciplinary action to inflict on Billy Budd. Is it capital punishment for killing an officer or pardon for striking out with no intention to kill?
Although a simple story line, Melville carefully intertwines two themes and depicts these themes through his characters. These themes are Society against Individualism and Destruction as the result of man’s sin nature. When Captain Vere is faced with a decision of whether to do justice or to do right (what his conscience tells him is right), Melville focuses on Society, or the law's ability to limit individualism. In the setting of his story, Melville uses Naval Law to take the place of Society. Captain Vere is not able to do “right” because the Naval Law says justice should be administered. Melville shows that although individualism is good and helpful to society to a point, in the navy it is contained by certain boundaries. These boundaries bring Captain Vere to the conclusion of his dilemma. Finding himself enclosed within these boundaries, he is forced to “condemn an innocent soul” and hang Billy Budd.
Melville uses some symbolism to further advance the themes of Society against Individualism and Destruction. When Billy leaves the Rights of Man and goes to the ship Bellipotent, Melville symbolizes Billy leaving "man's rights” (his rights) to be under the "power of war” (Bellipotent). This symbolism again illustrates limited individualism aboard a battleship. Also entwined in this book is Melville’s classic tale and theme of destruction because of the innate sin nature of man, as we have seen in his other literary work Moby Dick. Melville shows that Claggart’s jealousy of Billy destroys him and eventually Billy. Melville recognized that man was born with a sinful nature and enhances it by choosing the name Claggart which is a hard and rough name as opposed to Budd which means youth and innocence. Ultimately Claggart’s passion consumes him so much that he would risk everything to bring Billy down. The end result is that he is killed, just like Captain Ahab in Moby Dick.
As a writer, Melville was up against the world view of Transcendentalism in the literary world. Transcendentalism is the belief that all men are ultimately good, man’s own thoughts are right and nature is “god”. Melville opposed this idea, and tried to show through literature that man has an inherent sin nature and that if one is not governed by God, he or she will be destroyed by sin, in this case the sin of jealousy. Melville also makes another point against Transcendentalism with the fact that Captain Vere is unable to do what he wants. Unlike Melville’s world view, Transcendentalism says that “man’s own thoughts are right”. Emerson, one of the leading Transcendentalists said to his son, “Trust yourself, in self-trust all the virtues are comprehended.”; in essence trust in your heart, man is “god”. This statement is contrary to the fact that God has told us, “The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” Melville shows this through a narrative of an individual’s dealings in military service, a thing which Melville knew from experience. Captain Vere is commanded by Naval Law to hang Billy Budd and Billy is commanded not to resist and not to demand what he thinks is right. As Christians we are commanded by God to follow His will. We as sinful people are not able to discern what is good for us or others around us. Thus, God shows us our boundaries of what is right and just through His word. If we follow in His will, God can show us what is right, just as Captain Vere showed the rest of the crew. We need to prepare our hearts to be able to submit to Him, to “leave the ‘rights of man’” and be “brought under the ‘power of God’” just as Billy showed this with his last words to the crew “God bless Captain Vere!"
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