In Herman Melville’s, Billy Budd, Sailor, the protagonist is an innocent, naïve sailor with spiritual resemblances to Jesus Christ. Randa Dubnik says, “There are several references to Christianity and to Billy as a Christ-like figure…” (78) Throughout the story, Billy Bud faces many of the same trials throughout his life that Jesus once faced and consequently dies in a similar manner. Billy Budd has similar characteristics and a similar birth, life, and death, as Jesus Christ. ADD TO INTRODUCTION Billy Bud shares many similarities with Jesus Christ throughout the story including his natural purity and peacefulness. Both Christ and Billy have a pure and peaceful persona that others can easily distinguish as an important and respectable quality
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(1592)
Billy’s’ peacefulness is mentioned during the conversation between the Lieutenant and Shipmaster of the ship, Rights-of-Man. The Shipmaster, Captain Graveling, fought to keep Billy Budd on his crew saying that he was “the jewel” of his men and the “peacemaker” among them (Melville 1591). Billy Budd’s spiritual aspects such as purity and peacefulness reflect on those of Jesus Christ, allowing Billy to be viewed as a Christ-like figure. Billy Bud is a British sailor working on the war vessel, H.M.S. Bellipotent, as a foretopman. The captain of the ship Billy’s on, Captain Vere, notices Billy and begins inquiring about him, as did others aboard the ship. In the story, Melville writes, Asked by the officer, a small, brisk little gentleman as it chanced, among other questions, his place of birth, he replied,
“Please, sir, I don’t know.” “Don’t know where you were born? Who was your …show more content…
Claggart is seen as the Satan-figure in comparison to Billy Budd as the Christ-like figure. In The Scorpion’s Suicide: Claggart’s Death in Billy Budd, Gorman Beauchamp describes the “undeniable mystery of Claggarts iniquity.” (1) This quote can directly tie Claggart’s character to Satan by also looking at the Bible verse, Ezekiel 28:15, which says about Satan, “Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee” (KJV). Claggart’s evil character places trials and hardships on Billy Bud’s life as Satan once did to Jesus. Another hardship occurred in Billy Bud’s life when the men from the ship’s crew tried to bribe Billy into joining their mutiny. Billy was later accused of plotting and being the leader of the group just as Jesus was accused of wrongly leading his disciples and teaching them blasphemous
(1592)
Billy’s’ peacefulness is mentioned during the conversation between the Lieutenant and Shipmaster of the ship, Rights-of-Man. The Shipmaster, Captain Graveling, fought to keep Billy Budd on his crew saying that he was “the jewel” of his men and the “peacemaker” among them (Melville 1591). Billy Budd’s spiritual aspects such as purity and peacefulness reflect on those of Jesus Christ, allowing Billy to be viewed as a Christ-like figure. Billy Bud is a British sailor working on the war vessel, H.M.S. Bellipotent, as a foretopman. The captain of the ship Billy’s on, Captain Vere, notices Billy and begins inquiring about him, as did others aboard the ship. In the story, Melville writes, Asked by the officer, a small, brisk little gentleman as it chanced, among other questions, his place of birth, he replied,
“Please, sir, I don’t know.” “Don’t know where you were born? Who was your …show more content…
Claggart is seen as the Satan-figure in comparison to Billy Budd as the Christ-like figure. In The Scorpion’s Suicide: Claggart’s Death in Billy Budd, Gorman Beauchamp describes the “undeniable mystery of Claggarts iniquity.” (1) This quote can directly tie Claggart’s character to Satan by also looking at the Bible verse, Ezekiel 28:15, which says about Satan, “Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee” (KJV). Claggart’s evil character places trials and hardships on Billy Bud’s life as Satan once did to Jesus. Another hardship occurred in Billy Bud’s life when the men from the ship’s crew tried to bribe Billy into joining their mutiny. Billy was later accused of plotting and being the leader of the group just as Jesus was accused of wrongly leading his disciples and teaching them blasphemous