Benito Cereno was published in 1855 to an abolitionist magazine, Putnam’s Monthly. The act of publishing of the short story to such a magazine reflects Melville’s intentions for the story. These being to introduce a new narrative to the abolitionist movement, one that focuses on the humanity of slaves rather than dehumanizing to simply caricatures and stereotypes. While the typical abolitionist narrative presents black African slaves as unintelligent servants, dependent on their white superiors, Melville instead presents those slaves as people, angry by their captivity and more than eager to fight for their freedom by any means necessary. Herman Melville’s short story, Benito Cereno, presents a new abolitionist narrative of black African slaves,
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He is so blinded by the stereotypes he associates with slaves that he cannot see what is clearly a revolt against the captain and sailors. This depiction of Delano serves as a critique of the abolitionists, showing them not to be blinded by their stereotypes, but to instead think of the black African slaves as people, so that they can be fully aware of their surroundings and have empathy for those slaves, however difficult that may be. Delano even accuses Cereno of plotting murder against him before taking into consideration the very real possibility that the slaves are dictating his actions through the …show more content…
It is his last desperate attempt to attain the freedom he fought for. As he sees his revolt unravel he attempts to salvage it the only way he knows how—by taking Cereno’s life for revealing the façade. The pure humanity used by Melville to portray Babo as both a desperate and infuriated man is clear, “…his countenance lividly vindictive, expressing the centered purpose of his soul…” (Melville 88). This characterization of Babo as a tortured soul, forced to kill in a frantic attempt to regain his freedom, is one of the most human humanizing elements of the story. The slaves are depicted as gleeful to kill, but the atrocities they had previously faced justify such a lack of mercy, as they are subjected to whippings, beatings, and the
He is so blinded by the stereotypes he associates with slaves that he cannot see what is clearly a revolt against the captain and sailors. This depiction of Delano serves as a critique of the abolitionists, showing them not to be blinded by their stereotypes, but to instead think of the black African slaves as people, so that they can be fully aware of their surroundings and have empathy for those slaves, however difficult that may be. Delano even accuses Cereno of plotting murder against him before taking into consideration the very real possibility that the slaves are dictating his actions through the …show more content…
It is his last desperate attempt to attain the freedom he fought for. As he sees his revolt unravel he attempts to salvage it the only way he knows how—by taking Cereno’s life for revealing the façade. The pure humanity used by Melville to portray Babo as both a desperate and infuriated man is clear, “…his countenance lividly vindictive, expressing the centered purpose of his soul…” (Melville 88). This characterization of Babo as a tortured soul, forced to kill in a frantic attempt to regain his freedom, is one of the most human humanizing elements of the story. The slaves are depicted as gleeful to kill, but the atrocities they had previously faced justify such a lack of mercy, as they are subjected to whippings, beatings, and the