Innocence When Dooms tht Idealist Man in Melville's Billy Budd

Abstract

Innocence sometimes reaches the points of naïveté as it stands against evil and depravity but at another time this innocence may lead to one's doom if it lacks wisdom . It finds its counterpart in the hatred and malice that some people are disguised with . The conflict here is also which law society has to apply ; man-made law or natural law for both laws put man in an inevitable way under , sometimes , unjust punishment. In Billy Budd , men who confront the law and men who confront evil suffer similar consequences suggesting the dark view that evil and law are closely connected . The story has clear references with the circumstances of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice , his innocent spirit , and his unjust execution though critics remain sharply divided over whether Billy Budd's religious imagery represents Melville's embrace of religion or harsh critique of it . This paper is divided into two chapters . The first section of chapter one tackles the insecure Melville and some important spot lights of his background , while section two deals with the treatment of Billy Budd from Christian point of view . The second chapter is also divided into two sections ; the first deals with Billy Budd socially