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Billy Budd Symbolism

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Billy Budd, was written by Herman Melville in the 19th century, it contains three main characters: John Claggart, Captain Vere, and Billy Budd. In the opening of the story, Melville describes all the characters with different personality; Billy Budd is embodied as a symbol of Christ, Claggart is regarded as the villain, and Captain Vere is perceived as the moral leader of the vessel. As the story matures, the prior pictures of these characters are challenged as formerly concealed personalities of each character are exposed.
Symbolism is used to openly show the difference between good and evil. The evening before Billy's hanging, the red tan of his skin no paleness could have been revealed. Billy depicts a very pure Christ-like character before his death. His pale clothing, and natural eliminating …show more content…

This is called envy that Melville uses as one of the thoughts behind Claggart's intentions. The narrator infers that Claggart's has a fascination over Billy's moving individual beauty. This envy leads Claggart into accusing Billy of causing a mutiny scheme. Because he cannot have the same benefits, he must destroy them. John Claggart signifies the essence of a demon-haunted man. Melville wisely defines the modification in Claggart’s warped figure as he talks to Billy with a compelling stare of his charge against the good-looking sailor. His image originally was of a serpent lure; but his facial expression crumbles as he exposes his anger and hatred for Billy face to face. First, his eyes turn a different color from a usual lush violet to a murky purple. Melville even depicts him nearly as a non-human being, an alien eyes of an unseen creature. Furthermore, as opposed to his original image, Melville compares the man to a starved lurch of the torpedo-fish. Melville purposely changes Claggart’s demonic quality to a more severe

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