y fails to recognize this comment as sarcasm because he does not know why someone would deliberately try to hurt him in any way. Because of Billy’s innocence, he is not familiar with violence or punishment and his naivety towards the words of other people makes him the personification of goodness or innocence.Totally opposite of Billy’s inexperience and innocence is the character of Claggart. Claggart is the ultimate symbol of evil in the novel. He is already on the ship when Billy boards the Indomitable from the Rights of Man so Claggart has experience on the ship and with the crew. Claggart does not like Billy’s innocence or all of the work that Billy does because everyone seems to be taking a very strong liking to him. An early description in the book refers to Claggart as a man “in whom was the mania of an evil nature, not engendered by vicious training or corrupting books or licentious living, but born with him and innate, in short `depravity according to nature” (Melville 38). This is the most dangerous kind of evil because it was not learned by Claggart, but was instead born with his evil nature so that he has no sense of righteousness. He is constantly giving Billy dirty looks, but Billy sees him as no threat because Billy does not see why Claggart would ever want to hurt him. Even the Dansker warns Billy that he has become entangled in Claggart’s evil web and that Claggart will soon go in for the kill, but Billy does not make anything of it. Claggart even goes as far as trying to convince Captain Vere, who is very close to Billy, that Billy is only putting on an illusion by saying, “a mantrap may be under his ruddy-tipped daisies” (Melville 57). Then comes the ultimate blow and the pinnacle of Claggart’s evil in the novel. Claggart blames Billy for being the leader of a mutinous group of impressed officers. Claggart then goes to Billy’s cabin to let him know...
