Ahab is obsessed with the white whale and tells his crew that " I "ll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition's flames before I give him up" (Melville (1),156 ). A critic comments that "Captain Ahab's unrelenting pursuit of the great whale is an obsession" that forces him " to act in ways that are self-destructive" ( Gunn, 2). Ahab's obsession with the whale stems in part from the injury that it caused him but also from the fact that he views the whale as " all that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all the truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick" (Melville (1), 175). The critic D. H Lawrence perhaps sums it up best when he says," Ahab is a monomaniac. Moby Dick is his monomania. Moby Dick must DIE, or Ahab can't live any longer"(Lawrence, 584). Similarly, an obsessed Claggart persecutes Billy Budd until he provokes Billy into killing him. Claggart takes an instant disliking for Billy from their first meeting. He begins to hate him fervently and "seizes upon the soup spill as an indication of Billy's malice and uses it as an excuse to increase the level of his own enmity" ( Phillips, 18). One critic noted that," John Claggart's hatred for the sailor (Billy) everybody loves" for no real reason at all " is an obvious obsession".
( Gunn, 2). Claggart's hate begins to boil over in the small confines of the ship and soon turns into a veritable " monomania eating its way deeper and deeper in him. Something decisive must come of it" ( Melville(2) , 60). Before long, Claggart lets his monomania get the best of him and he falsely accuses Billy using a hurriedly fabricated lie. Captain Vere challenges Claggart's accusation of Billy by saying," Do you come to me with so foggy a tale?".
The poem is ironic because Billy Budd did not drown, he was hung. ... This quote is ironic because the "criminal" was not a criminal, Billy Budd was a hero in the story. Melville again tries to accuse Billy Budd of being an evil character. ... The context, however, does show a hint of accusation towards Billy Budd. ... The tendency of Melville presenting Billy Budd as evil, strikes an outrageous idea. ...
Therefore, Claggort was Billy's antagonist throughout Billy Budd. Also symbolic to the novel is the actual demise of both Claggort and Billy Budd. ... Claggort's death completely contrasts with the pure death of Billy Budd. ... In contrast to Claggort, Billy Budd's "welkin-eyes", blonde hair, and tan complexion ultimately portray good. ... Through out the novel Billy Budd is never aware of Claggort's ill will towards him. ...
There are three main characters in Herman Melville's Billy Budd, Sailor: Billy Budd, John Claggart, and Captain Vere. ... Different from Billy Budd, John Claggart is characterized as intelligent and sophisticated. ... He appreciates Billy Budd's innocent charm, but he despairs of sharing it. ... His high-sounding reasons for hanging Billy Budd is just the disguise of his fear. ... Billy Budd, Sailor has a simple plot, but meanwhile contains a variety of meanings. ...
Billy Budd - Individualism There is much to be said about individualism. ... Billy Budd and Ignatius Reilly were both prime examples of individuals. ... Billy Budd has remarkable looks. ... Billy Budd shows the positive side of individualism. ... Billy Budd brought out all the high aspects of it by being a leader and peacemaker to all of his shipmates. ...
In Herman Melville's Billy Budd, Melville uses the literary device of foreshadowing to allow the audience to be aware of Billy's inevitable fate before the characters in the novel, thus creating a feeling of suspense within the novel. Melville begins using foreshadowing early in the novel when he describes Billy Budd as a tall handsome sailor that was well adored by mostly all who knew him. ... At this point all the elements of foreshadowing within the novel have finally come together resulting in the climax and resolution within Billy Budd. Without the element of foreshad...
In the novel, Billy Budd by Herman Melville, emotions, and the actions based on them, play a considerable role in the fate of Billy Budd, Claggart and Captain Vere. ... One may wonder if Vere's destiny would go about differently if Billy Budd was still alive. Seconds before Billy is hung he says "'God bless Captain Vere!'" ... This demonstrates the emotional impact Billy had on Vere with his last words. Later when Vere is dieing from being wounded by the French, " he was heard to murmur words inexplicable to his attendant-'Billy Budd, Billy Budd," (92 Melville)and although...
Herman Melville's novel, Billy Budd, tells the story of a young man who is recruited by the British Navy to the H.M.S. ... These biblical allusions in Billy Budd provide the reader with a better understanding of many of the main characters and events including Billy Budd's comparison with Jesus Christ. ... Claggart lies to Captain Vere that Billy Budd is conspiring to commit mutiny on board the H.M.S. ... In this novel Billy's primary comparison is with the life or more specifically the death of Jesus Christ, although there are allusions to the Christ-Child. ... The allusi...
Billy Budd and Jesus Christ After reading the story Billy Budd, I could see how the story of Billy Budd is very similar to the story of crucifixion of Christ. ... Billy Budd was an almost perfect guy with looks and charm and that everyone liked. ... He was really jealous of Billy and secretly thought that 2 Billy was plotting against him and tried to belittle Billy whenever he could yet hid it well from Billy even though everyone had warned Billy that the master of arms really didn't like him. ... Billy didn't know what to think of this. .....
Billy Budd, by Herman Melville is an allegory; because the characters represent abstract qualities. Billy Budd represents Jesus Christ, Captain Vere represents God, and John Claggart represents Lucifer. ... Billy Budd was an innocent man physically and mentally. ... Billy Budd suffers a similar demise. ... The classic battle between innocence and evil comes alive with symbolism in Herman Melville's allegory, Billy Budd, with Billy Budd, Captain Vere, and Claggart being portrayed as Jesus Christ, God, and Lucifer. ...
