"Billy Budd, Sailor" by Herman Melville

I first read this book when I was in school and it was shortly after I read Moby-Dick by the same author. The real reason that I initially picked up this shorter work by Herman Melville was initially because I recognised the author’s name and in fact, I thought stupidly that they were a part of some series. Even though I was disappointed when they weren’t a part of some series, I read it anyway and I’m going to be perfectly honest that the first time I read it, I didn’t get it. So I read it again because I thought I’d missed something - and then it hit me. This book is a religious allegory of the treatment of Jesus by the Romans. The way in which people like Clagart treat Billy Budd is a very similar situation but it is when Billy Budd reacts that he is punished and it is for this punishment that everyone else suffers greatly. I only realised later that there were many literary criticisms published on this book and honestly, they were all so interesting because I had such an extensive memory of reading and experiencing the book. I could really get lost in those articles that examined the instances of violence and punishment in so much grand detail. I have been amazed with every piece of literary criticism I have found on this book so far and hopefully, I will find more soon.

My favourite character was obviously our much loved Billy Budd, the humble sailor whom everyone (apart from Clagart apparently) likes. He has a speech problem and yet, he is still the life of the party. A humble almost Huck Finn kind of character, he’s an adventurous soul that reminds you of the young soldiers who went off to war because all their friends were going. The one character flaw Billy Budd has though is the very fact that he cannot communicate with words and so, he must communicate with actions. So it is the action that he takes against Clagart that makes his punishment all the more severe. When Billy Budd is punished, it is clear that he doesn’t deserve it and it is also clear that there will be a great amount of grief to come from it. As we approach the end of the book it is even more clear that Billy Budd represents this sort of Christ-like figure. He is an amazing character with so much to offer even after his punishment. I would love to know the character in real life - he just seems like such a fun guy. But such a tortured soul.

My favourite theme in this book is definitely the allegories relative to religion and punishment, especially those that concern the crucifixion. When Billy Budd is punished, it is very clear that there is a massive foreshadowing over the book in which it gets darker and darker until the end of the book. The theme seems to represent that even though religion can be the saviour of things, it can also make things very difficult for you if you wrong other people without good reason. There is a lot of stuff about how and why Billy Budd is unfairly punished in the book but there is also a great amount about how Clagart isn’t punished at all and I believe that both of them are as important as each other. It is this that we need to understand if we are to understand why the ending happens as it does.

I think far more people should read this book, especially if they have read Moby-Dick first. It is a phenomenal effort of a story that was only found after Herman Melville died and yet, it is still relatively unknown. I was lucky because I got the chance to briefly study it in the philosophy module of my MA degree and I learnt even more than I did before. I swear to God, you will not be disappointed if you read this book because it’s short, but it’s very dark and might I add that it’s probably a lot darker than what you’re used to in Moby-Dick.