In the fiction piece of sailors and the ocean, Billy Budd, Melville writes in a way that has two sides of everything throughout the reading. Billy Budd himself, can be one side where he is completely oblivious to everything that the other seamen are thinking and doing. Billy Budd is also seen as innocent in everything he does because of the fact that he does not know what is going on. In Joyce Sparer Alder’s writing about Billy Budd, Billy Budd And Melville’s Philosophy Of War, Alder writes about a world of the civilized and the Christian that exist within the world where war and evil is one. Billy Budd fits in this world as the good side or the civilized Christian side (267).
In Billy Budd, the story takes place on a ship. Everyone knows that there are different ranking and different authority levels on a ship. Being the captain, you have the highest authority and can say anything you want. Being Billy, you are not the captain and you cannot. Quickly, we are already given the two sides on the boat, authority and the common. Billy, like many other crewmembers, will do anything and everything that the authority says to do. Being the more civilized, Billy doesn’t backlash or fight against what he is told. Billy never does wrong, and is reminded more not to do wrong when a crewmate gets flogged. Billy thereafter vows not to bring that upon himself.
Another complete contrast Melville writes about is between Billy and the King. Alder analyzes it on page 269, “…to Billy, who cannot say “no” to any authority, a fondling child who wants to be liked by everybody…. To the King… whose war they will serve without question.” Billy would serve the King in a war that Billy himself most likely would not want to fight. Just in nature, Billy Budd cannot say no.
Billy Budd and Melville's Philosophy of War
Joyce Sparer Adler PMLA, Vol. 91, No. 2 (Mar., 1976), pp. 266-278 Published by: Modern Language Association
Melville, Herman. Billy Budd and Other Tales. New York: Signet Classics, 2009.
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I understand that people on the ship has to lesson to the captain, but the description sounds a little repetative. may be you could of talked about another ship mate and how he follows order around and how different he is from Billy Bud.
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