Benito Cereno by Herman Melville
In many stories, the main characters carry the plot of a story throughout the book. The author often expresses the message that he desires the reader to receive through their thoughts and actions. Yet, the minor characters often have a large affect on the outcome of the book, although it is not quite as obvious to the reader. By altering the thoughts or actions of the main characters, a seemingly minor player in a novel may actually, at closer examination, be an important player in the plot. In the short story Benito Cereno, by Herman Melville, the minor character, Atufal, largely influenced Captain Delano, who is a main character. Delano’s assessments and opinions aboard the Spanish ship were greatly affected by Atufal, which therefore had an effect on the plot and ending of the story.
Captain Delano began to suspect that something on the ship was irregular, and then an incident with Atufal put all of his rightful suspicions to rest. Atufal, a minor character in the novel, led Captain Delano to become confused about what was truly happening aboard the San Dominick. As Delano first boarded the ship, he noticed several incidents that did not seem quite right. For example, he witnessed a young Negro boy hit a young white boy over the head with a knife (159), receiving no reaction from other people on the ship. Because he assumed that the whites were in control of the ship, Delano thought that it was quite strange that none of the Spaniards were upset by this disrespect of a white boy by a Negro. Atufal was brought out on the deck of the ship in front of Benito Cereno to ask his pardon. The “prisoner” Atufal refused to do so, and he was returned into captivity. Captain Delano view...
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...t often noticed, the story of Benito Cereno never would have taken place without them.
Delano’s opinions and assessments of situations throughout the story are changed in no small way by these minor characters, which therefore alter the plot of the novel.
Atufal, a minor character in the novel, led Captain Delano to become confused about what was truly happening aboard the San Dominick. Another minor character, the Negro woman with her child, also altered Delano’s opinion of the Negroes on the boat. Adufal and the Negro woman affected the plot because they caused Delano to doubt his suspicions, which therefore played a major role in the actions of this main character. In the classic story Benito Cereno, by Herman Melville, two minor characters greatly affect the opinions of the main character, Captain Delano, which therefore plays a major part in the plot.
There are other contrasting aspects of the stories that call for attention. Most significantly Benito Cereno – ultimately – portrays slaves as evil and Babo as the mind behind the cunning plan that deceives Captain Delano. The reason for this one-sided representation is naturally the fact that we experience the story from Delano’s point of view. In the beginning, we perceive Babo as the typical docile, helpful, and faithful servant so often portrayed in other slave characters such as Stowe’s Uncle Tom and Jim in Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. Babo is more than just a slave; he is a “faithful fellow”, “a friend that cannot be called slave” . And despite all the underlying hints of a slave insurrection, Delano does not grasp their meaning. Examples are the slaves’ treatment of the Spanish sailors and the hatchet polishers , but in Delano’s narrow-minded world, only the white man is capable of conceiving plans of ‘evil’. And when he – and the reader too – finally sees “the mask torn away, flourishing hatchets and knives, in ferocious piratical revolt”, he is embarrassed and “with infinite pity he [withdraws] his hold from Don Benito” . From this moment on, Babo is a malign devil and Melville removes speech from Babo’s mouth. This strengthen our opinion of Babo as ‘evil’ even more, for how can we sympathise with him without hearing his version of the story? Apparently, Melville proposes no other alternative for the reader than to sympathise with the white slave owner Don Benito, whom Babo so ingeniously deceives.
Douglass’s resistance of oppression was much more direct, both mentally and physically. Due to the 1st first person perspective of his Narrative, his tactics come off much more understandable and justifiable to his largely, White, Northern audience. Throughout the narrative, especially in scene between a master and his aunt, he portrays slaves as helpless victims at the mercy of their sadistic master. Witnessing his master beat his aunt into a bloody pulp, for example, emasculated Douglass because he could not prevent the man from asserting his authority over her. In the scene with Mr. Covey, however, Douglass portrayed violence as an act of reclaiming his manhood. Although the “slave-breaker” manages to overwork and beat Douglass until he nearly had no choice but to recover from his anguish instead of pursuing any education or freedom, his fight against Mr. Covey was a physical manifestation of his inner power and identity that even Mr. Covey could not ignore. The two White perspectives in Benito Cereno depict the violence among the slaves and the Whites as the complete opposite. Although the slaves have clearly proven they are far more intelligent and powerful than the other men have presumed, the White men’s internalized racism prevents them from seeing this aspect and draws their attention towards the physical violence instead. They label themselves as the
In conclusion, this essay analyzes the similarities and differences of the two stories written by Herman Melville, Billy Budd and Bartleby. The settings, characters, and endings in the two stories reveal very interesting comparisons and contrasts. The comparison and contrast also includes the interpretation of the symbolism that Melville used in his two stories. The characters, Billy and Bartleby, could even be considered autobiographical representatives of Herman Melville.
Herman Melville uses a first person point of view to show the narrator’s first hand fascination with his employee Bartleby, as well as Bartleby’s strange behavior and insubordination.
Herman Melville wrote some of the most widely read works in the history of literature during the late nineteenth century. He has become a writer with whom the romantic era is associated and a man whose works have become a standard by which modern literature is judged. One of his most well-known and widely studied short pieces of fiction is a story entitled, simply, Billy Budd. In this short story, Melville tells the tale of Billy Budd, a somewhat out-of-place stuttering sailor who is too innocent for his own good. This enchanting tale, while inevitably entertaining, holds beneath it many layers of interpretive depth and among these layers of interpretation, an idea that has been entertained in the literature of many other romantic writers. Melville uses a literary technique of developing two characters that are complete opposites in all aspects and contrasting them throughout the narrative, thus allowing their own personalities to adversely compliment each other. Melville also uses this tactic in another well-known short story, Bartleby the Scrivener. Much like Melville's two stories, another romantic writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses this tactic in his short story, The Artist of the Beautiful when he creates two completely different characters who vie for the same woman's love. Both writers use the contrary characters to represent the different facets of the human personality. Using this idea and many others, these romantic writers, Melville and Hawthorne, created works with depth of meaning that were both interesting to read and even more intriguing to interpret.
Minor characters play a very crucial role in Shakespear's Hamlet. They serve as narrators for events that occurred outside the immediate play: the Dane's ghost. Distinct contrasts are created through the usage of the play's minor characters. The reader gains new perspective on Hamlet's character when he is compared with Laertes. The presence of these minor characters can also have a direct effect on the action of the play. The actors in the play within the play are used to expose the guilt of Claudius; Hamlet then has proof of the King's crimes. The expertise use of these characters - either to exemplify good and purity, or to spread the vile corruption which permeates Elsinore - is one of the main reasons for Hamlet's success as one of the greatest plays ever written.
This passage defines the character of the narrators’ father as an intelligent man who wants a better life for his children, as well as establishes the narrators’ mothers’ stubbornness and strong opposition to change as key elements of the plot.
"At the very end of the novel- what is represented as being important? Find two quotes to illustrate this".
How important is an individual that most often than not authors focus on the growth of one over the growth of the many? Is it because the growth of one symbolizes the growth of all? Or is the focus on the individual due to the image it presents which is the growth in us? In any event, this outlook of individualism is widespread in literature and different genres and techniques excavate the development of the individual. Another factor that comes into play in the development of the character is the situation and the effects of the environment. Within William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest and Michael Cervantes Saavedra’s satire Don Quixote are two different characters molded and formed or in both cases malformed to incorporate their capsules which are the genres and settings that imprison them.
The Old Man and the Sea was written by Ernest Hemingway and published in 1952. This is a captivating fiction story about a man named Santiago and his adventure when one day, he goes on a fishing journey to catch the big one. However, this adventure quickly becomes one of pain and suffering when things take a turn for the worse.
As a minor character, Roderigo has a significant impact on several themes such as manipulation, jealousy and betrayal. Throughout Shakespeare’s drama, Roderigo is manipulated into performing tasks in which Iago does not want to take part in. Roderigo’s jealousy towards Othello increases as the play progresses. His endless love for Desdemona leads him to his tragic death where he has be betrayed by a person in which he once called his friend. At a first glance, a minor character may appear to have an insignificant role, but upon observing them in detail, their role can be much more significant that first perceived.
Hemingway has a way of making his readers believe that the feats and strengths that his characters obtain in his novels are actually possible. Although this statement may be too critical, and maybe there is a man out there, somewhere on the coast of Cuba who at this very moment is setting out to the open sea to catch a marlin of his own. The struggle many readers have is believing the story of Santiago’s physical powers and his strength against temptation bring forward the question of whether or not The Old Man and the Sea is worthy to be called a classic. Hemingway’s Santiago brought Faulkner and millions of other readers on their knees, while to some, believed Hemingway had swung his third strike. As we look further into Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, we can analyze the criticism and complications of the character Santiago. He is portrayed as a faulty Jesus, an unrealistic and inhuman man, and again still a hero to those who cannot find happiness in their life.
Santiago went through many turmoil’s in his life and his story is one of wisdom in defeat from the lengthy time of which he could not catch anything to that of his loss of the marlin to the sharks after such a lengthy battle to catch it then attempt to bring it back to shore. Now I could go on and on like any other paper about all the symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea but no matter what I did while reading it, in almost every aspect it screamed out to me as an impersonation or reflection of Hemingway’s own life in a multitude of ways that no one can deny. The Old Man and the Sea was an allegory referring to the Hemingway’s own struggles to preserve his writing i...
Although typically overlooked by the inattentive reader, the minor character can serve a myriad of literary roles from adding to the overall story elements to distinguishing the character’s impact on the plot. In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, minor characters play a paramount role in advancing the plot, reinforcing Austen's tone, and uniquely contributing to the work as a whole. Surprisingly, the impact of a certain minor character upon the work is illuminated as well as expatiated when analyzed. Lady Catherine de Bourgh has a much greater impact on the plot, characters, and theme of Pride and Prejudice that her minor role would suggest. In this way, she advances the plot, emphasizes the theme of social expectations, and provides a satirical image of the aristocracy.
When Melville wrote this novel he, he wanted to prove the superiority of American Literature and American Nation. The protagonist of the novel, Captain Ahab as the tragic hero-villain, his anger and bad behavior, describes Shakespeare’s dramatic technique, the Shakespearean language and parallel scenes, which shows the things Melville has acquired from Shakespeare. Though the depiction of character and the creation of the novel are Shakespearean, the novel’s greatness lies in its