In Herman Melvilles Billy Budd, the author focuses the plot around three symbols, three main figures in his story. These include Captain Vere, Billy Budd, and John Claggart. All three figures have tremendously different personalities and characteristics. They are three men in the British navy who feed off each other in so many ways. The three symbols shown in Melvilles Billy Budd are Captain Vere, symbolizing authority, Billy Budd, representing innocence, and John Claggart being the true meaning of evil. With these three symbols the whole plot of the story is developed.
Melville does an excellent job in portraying each characters qualities so efficiently. The first symbol used in Herman Melvilles Billy Budd is Captain Veres symbol of authority. He is always putting himself in a position of an officer responsible for the well-being of his men. He does not have enough trust in his men to let them make their own decisions, and feels he must do the thinking for them. From this, we tend to judge him as a cold, narrow-minded man who lacks compassion. He does, however, have a sense of spiritual understanding with Billy Budd and himself. It seems to be a kind of father and son relationship.
Captain Vere did have a strange sense about him. He was often caught in dreaminess, gazing absently off into the Black Sea. For this, he earned the name, Starry Vere, in the navy. In a poem entitled Appleton House was a discription of Captain Vere, This tis to have been from the first, In a domestic heaven nursed, Under the discipline severe, of Fairfax and the Starry Vere(McQuade, 907). This explains how the strict and controlling Captain Vere was often in dazes beyond anyones control. Despite Captain Veres strong sense of authority, he did have a soft side, a love for books. He would never go out to sea without them.
This makes us believe that he does have feelings. Toward the end of the story he shows his authority yet also lets Billy Budd know he does believe him. This is shown when Captain Vere tries to live an authoratative, high profile life yet the reader feels the bond between Billy Budd and Vere. At the moment prior to Billys death, I get the feeling that the souls of the two men are one. This is because Captain Vere goes into shock and I sense he is experiencing the pain. Melville writes, And yet at that instant Billy alone must have been in their hearts, even as in their eyes (McQuade, 942).
The second symbol in Melvilles Billy Budd is John Claggart, the master-at-arms, Billys exact opposite. He had an abnormal look to him, which contrasted from Budds beauty and innocence. Claggart had an evil nature to him, demonstrated in all manners by his appearance. Claggart glowed with this evil while Budd glowed with goodness. While Claggarts envy of Billy increased, he resorted to telling lies about him. Claggart was trying to set Billy Budd up, and when Captain Vere asked, You say that there is at least one dangerous man aboard. Name him, Claggart says, William Budd, a foretop man, your honor(McQuade, 975).
This procedure did pay off for Claggart in some ways in the long run, that is, he got what he had wanted, Billy Budd to be hung. However, the whole incident caused Claggart to be killed. Claggart was not only an evil man, but also a false witness. He tried to brand Billy Budd an evil man, but in return made everyone realize deep down he alone was the only evil one that existed. The third symbol used in this essay is Billy Budd and his representation of innocence. He is portrayed as the Handsome Sailor with no foreseen faults. He is also called Baby Budd and is referred to as a flower, scarce yet released from the bud(lecture notes).
The only flaw Billy Budd had was a stuttering problem. This usually was brought about when he was made to be angry. He was a very simple-minded man who was illiterate, but could sing. (McQuade, 901) He had a pretty calm personality to him for the most part, but would lash out when he was mad, because he could not speak. Billys rage is unconscious and symbolized by the fact he cannot find the words to express what he is feeling. Although Billy Budd did have the sense of innocence to him, it was all changed by the false accusation against him.
It is this that makes him so angry and susceptible to allowing Claggart to turn Budds actions into evil. When it is Claggart lying dead on the ground, it makes Billy out to have no more innocence in some sense, but in fact the bearer of false evil. Melvilles Billy Budd does in fact use many forms of symbolism througout his story. The three I chose to discuss included Captain Veres authority, John Claggarts sense of evil, and Billy Budds representation of innocence. We see Captain Veres authority used in the way he controlled his men to the way he handled Billy Budds trial. John Claggart showed evil until his dying day.
It is seen in his attempt to bring Billy Budd down and when he tried to make Budd out to have evil qualities inside him. Billy Budds symbol of innocence is mainly seen in the beginning where he is proved to be taken advantage of. Even toward the end, when Budd has been sentenced to hang, I still have the feeling that he is the one who has been taken advantage of. Throughout this story the reader gains many different aspects of these characters. It could be from Veres authority, Claggarts evil or Budds innocence. I could clearly see these three symbols used throughout the essay.