The Vulnerability of Innocence
The Vulnerability of Innocence
“Billy Budd, Sailor (An inside narrative)” by Herman Melville uses John Claggart as a foil to Billy Budd in order to draw attention to the vulnerability of innocence. This can be seen clearly throughout the relationship of Billy and Claggart, as their relationship is an obvious struggle between good and evil, as well as the similarities and differences that Herman Melville stresses continuously throughout the short story. By analyzing the relationship, similarities, and differences Melville uses these to draw the reader’s attention to the vulnerability of innocence and the ultimate outcome of being too naive. Throughout the short story, Melville continuously brings up the conflict of a struggle between good and evil. In this case, John Claggart is considered evil as he is often compared with Satan and Billy Budd is equated with an “angel of God” (Melville, 352).
“With no power to annul the elemental evil in him, though readily enough he could hide it; apprehending the good, but powerless to be it; a nature like Claggart’s, surcharged with energy as such natures almost invariably are, what recourse is left to it but to recoil upon itself and, like the scorpion for which the Creator alone is responsible, act out to the end the part allotted it.” [Melville, 328]
Although Claggart is not directly called Satan, it can be assessed that this is the intent.
As it discusses the scorpion as an evil that only Creation, or God, can create. An evil that strongly points to Satan who is known as the ultimate evil. Furthermore, the narrator of this novel argues that Claggart has “an evil nature, not engendered by vicious training or corrupting books or licentious living, but born with him and innate, in short, a depravity according to nature” (Melville 326). This is interesting, as Captain Vere is a knowledgable man who is known for studying books instead of conversing with others. With this knowledge the innocence of an
“Billy Budd, Sailor (An inside narrative)” by Herman Melville uses John Claggart as a foil to Billy Budd in order to draw attention to the vulnerability of innocence. This can be seen clearly throughout the relationship of Billy and Claggart, as their relationship is an obvious struggle between good and evil, as well as the similarities and differences that Herman Melville stresses continuously throughout the short story. By analyzing the relationship, similarities, and differences Melville uses these to draw the reader’s attention to the vulnerability of innocence and the ultimate outcome of being too naive. Throughout the short story, Melville continuously brings up the conflict of a struggle between good and evil. In this case, John Claggart is considered evil as he is often compared with Satan and Billy Budd is equated with an “angel of God” (Melville, 352).
“With no power to annul the elemental evil in him, though readily enough he could hide it; apprehending the good, but powerless to be it; a nature like Claggart’s, surcharged with energy as such natures almost invariably are, what recourse is left to it but to recoil upon itself and, like the scorpion for which the Creator alone is responsible, act out to the end the part allotted it.” [Melville, 328]
Although Claggart is not directly called Satan, it can be assessed that this is the intent.
As it discusses the scorpion as an evil that only Creation, or God, can create. An evil that strongly points to Satan who is known as the ultimate evil. Furthermore, the narrator of this novel argues that Claggart has “an evil nature, not engendered by vicious training or corrupting books or licentious living, but born with him and innate, in short, a depravity according to nature” (Melville 326). This is interesting, as Captain Vere is a knowledgable man who is known for studying books instead of conversing with others. With this knowledge the innocence of an