LITR 4232: American Renaissance
University of Houston-Clear Lake
Student Presentation, spring 2001

Reader: Lisa Lovett

Discussion notes: Lydia Gonzales

April 3, 2001

Billy Budd, Sailor

by Herman Melville

(Heath Anthology, p 2397 – 2402)

Thoughts on the author:

Herman Melville reminds me of Joseph Conrad is his response to the changing world. Melville writes in a complicated, cluttered style. He goes off the subject, gets lost in specific references instead of just alluding to people or incidents. His story doesn’t flow smoothly. To someone like me, this style is irritating, not appropriate for a novel. He should have just written for some professional journal, such as Journal of Psychology. Maybe then he could make a living by the truth. (Re: Letter to Hawthorne).

Objective: Objective 2 – Gothic style Pages 2534, 2535, 2536, 2541, and 2543, 2549

My Interpretation:

We see the strong contrast of good/evil and light/dark in the descriptions of Claggert and Billy Budd.

Pg. 2534, bottom: starting with "now something…" Claggart evilness deep inside can’t control and at top of 2535, smoldering fire hidden, his hidden nature, concealed. Also page 2527, description is opposite of Billy Budd’s; he has dark hair, irregular features. Billy Budd’s description on page 2517 and 2518 – merry, good natured, blond, perfect build

I detected a theme of fate running through the story. Page 2536 starting at "with no power", evil takes over him, and page 2541 bottom, second point on fate theme, starting with "Yes…", a deep natural evil.

Page 2543 – As to Claggart – continues fate theme; fate evil must be done, fiery hell

Page 2543 – Another contrast of good/evil – subterranean fire like fiery hell below and

Page 2549 – up in the sky "Life in the foretop …", a reference to heavens as contrast to Claggart’s hell. (Also "lazy" contrasts with 2536 "surcharged with energy")

Page 2535 – Envy , is a touch of gothic. Envy is a horrible thing, it will eat you up. Antipathy means strong dislike and envy means you want something someone else has. Strange to have both feelings at the same time.

"magnetically felt" – the evil in Claggart is drawn to the goodness of Billy, it detects it and must destroy it.

Page 2535 – description of how Claggart sees Billy Budd’s nature "in simplicity never willed malice or experienced the reactionary bite of the serpent." When I read this I could see a correspondence to the naked islanders on page 2398 of the introduction where it describes a scene from a warship that Melville had been on during service. "…warship training their guns on naked islanders…" Billy Budd is naked in regard to lacking malice, and the poor natives were simple in their nakedness.

Summary: There is a strong sense of the gothic with contrasts of light and dark and good and evil.

Discussion:

Dr White: p. 2536, reference to scorpion. How could same God make Claggart and Billy?

Kelly: no talk about past of Claggart, but

Dr. White: Byronic Hero in story

Lynn: Scorpion and stinging self we are worst enemy

Dr.White: Evil in him detects goodness

Sheila: Predestination in story

Dr. White: Melville and reformed church--born in sin as part of package

Joni: Is suggesting no free will and what has to do must be

Sheila: In predestination can’t change what will happen, fate is driving conclusion

Lisa: Monomania sees Billy’s goodness and touched, but must do

Dr. White: Could have seeked help, sense of being caught in a pattern and can’t break out

Lisa: Have Satan and God at the ends of the spectrum

Dr. White: Sublime – these humans are being elevated

Lisa: Reminds of God’s of ancient Greece, Apollo

Dr. White: Claggart down in bottom of ship, (skin not healthy)

Lisa: Back this and say he is in charge of what goes on below

Dr. White: Reference to Magua and Uncas, boy starting journey innocent vs. experienced

Dr. White: Billy perfect yet has flaw, he stutters

Valerie: Billy has a fate; quest of free will

Dr. White: when action happens, quest, whether acted on free will, but, seems to have sprung from something larger

Valerie: Social problems in story

Dr. White: Idea that "will" controls life. Story elevates to level of beauty that will work out even with evil and good. Hard lesson.

Lisa: Points out social and personal problems of Melville, he should write for journal

Dr. White: Can’t read for escape, is opposite of escape; feels like inhabit a mind greater that yours when read Melville

Lisa: Worn out after reading!

Dr. White: Gender ethnic (not leisure); Melville came from problematic background

Lisa: World changed these people who were so simple and technology changed life so much