Herman Melvilles Billy Budd - Innocence is More Important that Wisdom :: Billy Budd Essays

Herman Melvilles he-goat Budd - Innocence is More Important that Wisdom In billystick Budd, the author, Herman Melville, presents a question that stems directly from the original sin of ouAdam and Eve Is it better to be innocent and ignorant, tho good and righteous, or is it better to be experienced and intimate? Through this work, Billy Budd,Melville is telling us that we need to strike some kind of balance between these two ideas we need to have morality and uprightness we need to be in the world, but not of the world. To illustrate his theme, Melville uses a few characters who are all very different, the most important of which is Billy Budd. Billy is the focal point of the book and the single person whom we are meant to learn the most from. On the ship, the Rights-of-Man, Billy is a cynosure among his shipmates a leader, not by authority, but by example. All the members of the crew look up to him and love him. He is strength and beauty. Tales of his prowess are recited. As hore he is the champion, afloat the spokesman on every sufficient occasion always foremost(9). Despite his popularity among the crew and his hardworking attitude, Billy is transferred to another British ship, the Indomitable. And while he is accepted for his looks and happy personality, ...hardly here is he that cynosure he had previously been among those minor ships companies of the merchant marine(14). It is here, on the Indomitable that Billy says good-bye to his rights. It is here, also, that Billy meets John Claggart, the master-at-arms. A man in whom was the madness of an evil nature, not engendered by vicious training or corrupting books or licentious living but born with him and innate, in short a degeneracy according to nature(38). Here then, is presented a man with a personality and character to contrast and conflict with Billys. Sweet, innocent Billy immediately realizes that this man is someone he does not wish to cross and so after seeing Claggart whip another cr ew-member for neglecting his responsibilities, Billy resolved that never through remissness would he top himself liable to such a visitation or do or omit aught that might merit even verbal reproof(31). Billy is so good and so innocent that he tries his hardest to stay out of trouble. What then was his surprise and concern when ultimately he found himself getting into subaltern trouble occasionally about such matters as the stowage of his bag.