Use Of Religious Imagery In Herman Melville's Benito Friars

Herman Melville’s use of religious images not only demonstrates his genius as a romantic author, but also displays the human capacity for evil. Melville specifically chooses these religious images to make a powerful statement on how evil is used as a weapon against people. Melville’s use of religious imagery is deliberate and even on the verge of calculating. Melville uses religion multiple times to show how being ignorant of one’s surroundings can be incredibly damaging. From the very beginning of the novella, Melville uses images of religion. Melville says, when describing the appearance of the San Dominick, “appeared like a white-washed monastery after a thunder-storm, seen perched upon some dun cliff among the Pyrenees”

The Black Friars, a group born out of the Spanish Inquisition, founded by Saint Dominic, traveled out among the people preaching the word of God. The Inquisition is criticized as being a low point in the history of the church. To parallel the intolerance of the Church, slavery was not fully condemned by the Church, with some Popes owning slaves. In Benito Cereno, Melville changes the name of a real slave ship from Tryal to San Dominick. This alteration is no coincidence. He modified the name to give a physical manifestation of Delano’s ignorance. Unlike monks who were very isolated, like Delano on his northern “pedestal,” friars went out to spread the teachings of God. Delano’s assumption that slaves lacked intellectual prowess buys into the evils of slavery and

The betrayal of Jesus serves as an important Biblical allusion in Benito Cereno. In the beginning of this novella, Delano still doubts whether Cereno is dangerous or not. He says, “Or was the Spaniard less hardened than the Jew, who refrained not from supping at the board of him whom the same night he meant to betray?” (70). In this quote, Delano asks himself if Cereno will betray him that night, but also asks if Cereno has more restraint than Judas. Here, Melville uses the betrayal of Jesus to show not only Delano’s ignorance, but to represent the bond that has grown between the two men during their short time together. In Delano’s perspective, Cereno’s strange behavior and their respect towards each other are signs that something is amiss. Delano believes, incorrectly, that the out of place happenings on the ship are due to an imminent betrayal by Cereno. Demonstrated again is Delano’s ignorance as represented by his isolation from the real world. Delano’s limited knowledge of slavery, because he is from the north, causes him to buy into the terrible stereotypes against Africans, which is an evil unto