I am a visual learner and I find that I retain more information when I see it played out before me, but I had already read Billy Budd and I was leery of what the movie would do to my interpretation. When I sit and delve into a story like Billy Budd, I form the characters in my mind. I envision their hair color, their build, the way they walk, the way in which they interact with the other characters. I think about the crazy old man or the drama of the fight scene; and all of this is going on in the confines of my own mind. My reading interpretation of Billy Budd’s is completely different than the person sitting right next to me reading the exact same story. When you view a novel on film it becomes universal.
The representation of Billy Budd, Claggart and Captain Vere are now an identified character that can be shared by everyone. When I watched the movie, I already had a story theme in mind from my reading that I wanted to be sure was repeated throughout the movie. There is a Christian allegory that is seen throughout the book with Billy Budd being the representation of Christ and both of them making a sacrifice as innocent victims in a hostile society. Captain Vere parallels the role of Pontius Pilate in the Gospels, as he is the official who permits the sacrifice by following the letter of the law instead of his own conscience. Claggart functions as a satanic figure, tempting Billy into evil and working to destroy him throughout the novel. Satan is not part of the story of Christ’s crucifixion, but Claggart’s temptation of Billy more closely mirrors the serpent’s temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden than anything in the Gospels.
The Essay on Herman Melville Billy Budd
Portrayed through the characters of his novella Billy Budd, Herman Melville reveals his feelings on society; he believes justice should prevail over evil, however, evil overcomes goodness and innocence. Each character defines a specific characteristic of society. Billy Budd represents goodness and innocence, Dansker represents wisdom, knowledge and understanding, Claggart represents evil, and ...
“The twain raised the felled one from the loins up into the sitting position. The spare form flexibly acquiesced, but inertly. It was like handling a dead snake.” (350) The narrator of the book makes Claggart’s connection to the serpent in Genesis more explicit. While watching the movie I was amazed at the parallels I found between the depiction of the characters in the book and the actors on the screen. Billy Budd was similar to what I would have pictured; compassionate, warm, humble and very easy liked by most everyone. Captain Vere was a great representation of an authority figure who wanted good to prevail.
He tried in every way to stop the schemes of Claggart and was a just and disciplined Captain. Claggart fit the description precisely of a troubled man who only wanted the demise of Billy Budd. There were times in which you could feel his inner struggle between good and evil. In the movie, when Billy Budd came to him on the deck of the ship and started talking to him, Claggart seemed to be drawn to him. Moments later, he said that he was being tricked just like everyone else and once again you saw the sinister side of his nature. His facial features and his speech were things that really made the Christian allegory come alive for me.
I think there is value in viewing different interpretations to the same story. My interpretation does not have to fade by watching a movie of the story, it can almost be enhanced by how I see others reading the same words that I have.
