th such cruelty. Atufals performance caused Delano to believe that Cereno was in control of the happenings on the boat, and that his prior concerns about the role of the Negroes on the San Dominick should be put to rest. Delano did not do much more than shortly entertain the idea that the blacks were, in fact, in control of the Spanish vessel because of what he witnessed in the situation of Atufal. Atufal affected the plot because he caused Delano to doubt his suspicions, which therefore played a major role in the actions of this main character. The observations of Atufal by Delano greatly helped to form his attitude towards the Negroes upon the ship. The supposed cruelty of Don Cereno towards the slave Atufal created an image of obedience by the blacks in Delanos mind. Delano thought, But [the Negroes] were too stupid (177). Perhaps if Atufal had not implanted images of white supremacy aboard the ship, Captain Delano might have acted sooner in helping to return the ship to Benito Cereno. In the classic story Benito Cereno, by Herman Melville, the minor character Atufal greatly affected the opinions of the main character, Captain Delano, which therefore plays a major part in the plot. Many times attention is not paid to the minor characters of a novel; however, they are essential to the development of the story. Unlike many of the other minor characters in the story, Atufal portrays the image of white-over-black domination. Without the misleading of Captain Delano by Adufal, the mystery and suspense of what was truly happening aboard the San Dominick would not have been built up. Although the important roles of these seemingly minor people in the novel are not often noticed, the story of Benito Cereno never would have taken place without them. Delanos opinions and assessments of situations throughout the story are changed in no small way by these minor characters, which therefore alter the plot of the novel. Atufal, a minor...
