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Billy Budd

Billy Budd Pure innocence is rare to come by in any person. Even in the “beginning” of mankind, known through the story of Adam and Eve, the creation of an infallible being was not achieved. They may have been created innocent at first, but no force possible could keep any being from falling. All beings may be created with innocence, but with innocence comes ignorance, which opens the door to eternal down fall and destruction. Herman Melville illustrates this in Billy Budd, Sailor, with his tainted innocent Billy Budd. He paints a picture in which things may not exist, unless defective in some way. Billy existed with a false sense, in the end saying no matter how innocent or devilish, brave or coward, one is, they contain that falseness. Our first and continually lasting impression of Billy is that of innocence. The young sailor is referred to as “Baby Budd, as more familiarly” (3), which shows that purity existing in new creations, but baby’s have weaknesses as does Billy. This also shows how the other sailors portrayed him as well as Melville, making him seem more pure. Billy keeps his exemplary appearance well. His physical appearance, masculine and handsome with a perfect complexion, is flawless in every way. The “sweet and pleasant young fellow” (28) followed orders, gave “...no cause of offence to anybody...” (23), and he is also considered the “peacemaker”. Not only does Melville emphasize Billy’s innocence through his “simple” description, but also he implies purity with connections with the Bible. He gives the sense that Billy was created to be infallible because he “was found in a pretty silk-lined basket” (9), as was Moses in the Bible. Since the Bible, throughout time, has represented all that is pure and good, Melville referring to it strongly accentuates Billy’s innocence. Billy being characterized without flaws hardly permits us to see the faults that exist in all beings. Purity and innocence stereotypically result in all things good, but as stated earlier, with innocence comes ignorance. Billy’s innocence causes him to have problems with trusting people too much and only seeing the good in them. This creates an atmosphere where Billy can be taken advantage. He is blinded by his own naivety. Innocence does not exist without naivety and one can only be naive with a simple mind. Billy possessed that simplicity in which he preferred not to take a challenge and stay away from difficult situations. His simple mind in nature along with his innocence, balances equally with his ignorance, unlike in normal instances where as one develops, innocence become less, And yet a child’s utter innocence is but blank ignorance, and the innocence more or less wanes as intelligence waxes. But in Billy Budd intelligence, such as it was, had advanced while yet his simple-mindedness remained for the most part unaffected. Experience is a teacher indeed; yet Billy’s years make his experience small. (39) Innocence also comes with more weaknesses, other than those of ignorance and naivety Among these was a reluctance, almost an incapacity of plumply saying no to an abrupt proposition not obviously absurd on the face of it, nor obviously unfriendly, nor iniquitous. And being of warm blood, he had not the phlegm tacitly to negative any proposition by unresponsive inaction. Like his sense of fear, his apprehension as to aught outside of the honest and natural was seldom very quick. (34) All things said previously are actions and reactions in which innocence exists not with out, causing Billy to stay pure, in a way, with his ignorance. This tainted innocence of Billy’s is portrayed through Herman Melville’s use of oxymoron’s and irony. This technique proves effective in showing that the labels on retains are not true in essence, but have falseness to them. As stated throughout this writing, Billy’s innocence is tainted, but he’s not evil. His innocence is more directed into weakness rather than being a cover up for a “devil” inside him. Melville uses oxymorons such as this throughout the book, not only to show the falseness in all, but also to further emphasize the fake innocence in Billy. He refers to people like Billy as “fighting peacemakers” (6), showing basically the fraudulence in his purity because in order to attain peace, fighting is needed. Billy is also “like the animals” (7), giving him an uncivilized sense of nature. Purity and innocence against incivility also enhances the awkward and false feeling. Another approach used by Melville to stress the point of awkward innocence is his references to the Bible. Stated earlier, the Bible showing purity represents perfection, but there are so many instances of sinners and betrayers, that, in essence, the Bible represents the fraudulence in all mankind. Described as Jesus Christ is Billy and the goodness in Christ had the fault that led to his crucifixion, Billy’s goodness turned sour from those around him. Innocence can be portrayed in many ways, but no matter how blunt, or implying, or hinting one is, the falseness is always talked about as well. Innocence is evident in all in the beginning, but all exist not in pure innocence. The pureness either fades greatly as one matures or the innocence sticks with them for life with a negative outcome. Billy contained innocence his whole life, but ignorance and naivety developed, which led to his downfall. His ignorance and naivety tainted Billy’s innocence, but all purity is tainted in one way or another. Herman Melville best describes this tainted innocence with his oxymoron’s and using them on other subjects just sets the feel. Billy never completely lost his innocence, which is evident through his last word “God bless Captain Vere!” (70), showing he could forgive them for taking advantage of him and taking his life. They took advantage of him because of his innocence, which he could not have without ignorance. Bibliography:

Word Count: 1006