Billy Bud Sailor: The Really Lovable Monk

Imagine having someone hate you with all their being. In the book, Billy Bud Sailor, the seemingly lovable sailor, William Bud, experienced exactly this. Immediately after venturing aboard a warship named the Bellipotent, the young and handsome sailor hit it off with all his crew members. That is, all except one. Claggart, the master at arms, held a higher rank than Billy on the ship. Billy appeared joyful and kind, while Claggart seemed serious and hateful. For some unknown reason, this man hated Billy, and constantly sought out ways to make his life more difficult. One day, a wise old sailor came to the naïve Billy, telling him of Claggart’s hatred towards him, and warning him to act cautiously around the master at arms. Claggart’s disdain

In the beginning, Claggart acted friendly towards Billy, causing him not to suspect anything. Consequently, this put Billy in a state danger, because he lived in a delusion, unaware of the malice put towards him by this hateful man. As a cause of his hatred, Claggart caused other men on the ship to begin suspecting Billy for things Billy would never dream of doing. These few men became suspicious of Billy and as a result, also began detesting him. Lovable Billy never recalled anyone despising or suspecting him for anything in his life. The friendly sailor simply desired that everyone get along, and more importantly to him that everyone like him. For this to happen, Billy needed to take action. Worst of all, Claggart lied to the Captain about Billy. He claimed that Billy acted as a leader in a group secretly planning a mutiny against the Captain. Thankfully, the Captain knew and trusted Billy, and so did not accept this accusation as truth. However, in the end, this lie caused much more trouble than intended, because Claggart let his vile animosity get out of hand. Claggart’s malice towards Billy, cause Billy much trouble and

Wisdom and caution seemed imperative in this situation, and by calmly approaching Claggart, the two may have resolved their conflict. By approaching the situation this way, Billy also would make peace, something crucial to the ship and to God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”-Matthew 5:9. God himself blesses peacemakers, and this alone should prove enough to convince someone to seek out peace. Overall, confronting Claggart appeared the Biblical method of dealing with the issue. “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.”-Matthew 18:15. Billy had the opportunity to resolve his issue with Claggart simply one on one. However, he neglected this chance and things quickly flew out of hand. Because of his reluctance, Billy missed the chance to gain back Claggart’s respect and friendship. Even the Bible, proves that confronting Claggart, seemed the best