Irony in Billy Budd

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Billy Budd is a story filled with irony. This literary aspect can be seen through the plot and characters of the work. As defined in The American Heritage Dictionary, irony is the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. After a casual reading of the story' the many ironic aspects may have been igonred, but after analyzing the story it becomes obvious that they are of great importance.

"...The fate of each character is the direct reverse of what one is led to expect from his nature" (Johnson, 185). The character of Billy Budd is portrayed as a peacemaker, a young, innocent, likable, sweet man. However, halfway through the story, he becomes a murderer. Billy Budd was first introduced to the reader as a good looking young man in good health who was honest and sincerely innocent. He does not believe that Claggart could dislike him, since he is so nice to his face. When Billy finds out about Claggart's lies, he strikes him and kills him. This is not an action that was expected by readers due to the persona he exemplified throughout the first half of the story. Bil...

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