The Loss of Innocence

The New England puritans firmly believed that all human beings are born condemned sinners and through hard work and devotion people may redeem their soul to enter the gates of heaven. Contrary to this Christian belief, the concept of tabula rasa by John Locke states that the mind is born as a blank slate and knowledge comes from experience and awareness. Since the mind is initially innate, life experiences then stain the blank slate with colours. The choices people make are influenced by these colours of virtue or vice, and can lead to a path of sin. One would have to preserve the innocence and be aware of the corrupt to avoid this path. This is demonstrated in Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, where Billy’s character succumbs to his own downfall because his innocence clouds his awareness of the forces conspiring against him.
Melville’s last and unfinished novella, Billy Budd, tells the story of a young and handsome sailor Billy Budd who is appointed to be in service of British Naval forces during the French Revolution. Billy is the epitome of natural beauty and purity, described to be loved by all and shown to have very little experience and knowledge about life. However, his innocence is at risk when the master-at-arms of the ship, John Claggart, enters as an antagonist in his life. Claggart despises Billy for unapparent reasons. Scholar James E. Miller suggests that “Billy’s ignorance of evil [and] Billy’s innocence is compounded of his lack of knowledge of good and evil…and not of a profound insight into the nature of the world and man” (Miller, 1958). Billy’s naivety prevents him from understanding Claggart’s hostility even when Dansker warns him about Claggart’s malicious intentions. His gullibility is evident again when Claggart remarks “Handsome is as handsome did it too” (Melville, 37) because Billy does not recognize the sarcasm and malice in Claggart’s voice. This enmity that Claggart feels for Billy would have been evident to anyone, but Billy is only aware of the goodness in others and never comes to doubt their dislikes or distrust in him. This ignorance shuts down his protective instincts and eventually leads to his downfall.

Works Cited:
Miller, James E. "Billy Budd: The Catastrophe of Innocence." Modern Language Notes 73 (1958): 168-76.
The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web. 22 Nov. 2009. .