of the charges and out of total depravity of right and wrong, Billy kills Claggart. This event shows that Claggart not only possesses a certain amount of evil, but that he himself is evil.To better relate Billy to good and innocence, there are many ways which he is related to the ultimate symbol of goodness; Jesus Christ. In general, both Billy and Christ struggled with many hardships, temptations, and persecution throughout there lives. The main difference being that Christ recognized them while Billy was too inexperienced to. They were both incapable of holding a grudge because their innocent nature prevented them from such thoughts. An interesting exert from Simms sums up the similarities in their demises. “Christ supposedly said he was the king of the Jews. Then he was tried and convicted of treason, although he was falsely accused in the first place... Billy suffers a similar demise. He was accused of being the leader of a rebellious group planning to mutiny. Billy is found guilty of mutiny and protected the true mutineers” (Simms, “Criminal Without a Crime”). Both Billy and Christ we killed in similar ways on large wooden beams. Billy was hung, while Christ, of course, was nailed to it. When the rope was put around Billy‘s neck, “Billy ascended, and, ascending, took the full rose of the dawn” (Melville 80). This glory can only be achieved by those who are truly ready and without regret just as Billy and Christ were.Just as Billy shows similarities to the ultimate goodness of Christ, Claggart shows similarities to the ultimate evil which is that of Satan. “Claggart, symbolized as Lucifer, is the antagonist in Melville’s story, and he draws on evil to prevent Billy from reaching glory” (Simms, “Criminal Without a Crime“). Claggart’s evil can be referred to as almost “super-human” because of the fact that no good is ever portray...
