Melville's Use Of Characterism In 'Benito Cereno'

‘Benito Cereno’ is a fascinating story that defies simplistic attempts at interpretation. This story of cruelty and oppression perpetrated by the characters that would usually draw our sympathy is hard for modern readers to interpret. Critics have disagreed on whether this story is about racism, Old Europe succumbing to the New World, or the weaknesses of perception and understanding. Here, Melville seems to be at his most opaque. In order to guess at his central message, one must examine his strong characterization as well as some of the symbols that he uses throughout the story. There is no simple explanation, but that complexity may be part of the answer.

Melville’s use of characterization is the most important part of understanding

He thinks of Babo, Cereno’s servant, in the same terms that one would use to describe a loyal dog (Melville 151). When he sees a black woman sleeping with her child, he considers her full of “pure tenderness and love” (Melville 175). Delano sees the blacks on board the ship as too loyal and good to be capable of wrong; he is too trusting to see or feel the danger that surrounds him constantly. Even when Babo stands behind him at the supper table in order to better watch Cereno and threaten him into silence, Delano believes it is so that Babo may “more readily anticipate [Cereno’s] slightest want” (Melville 193). Here is the most obviously presented danger of racism; it simply blinds Delano almost to his own harm. Even when Cereno leaps into the exiting lifeboat and is followed by a murderous Babo, Delano believes that the only threat is Cereno (Melville 203). This perception versus reality is one of the most blatant contrasts that Melville creates in the story as he narrates Delano’s constant inaccurate generalization. Melville sets a scene that is spooky and mysterious and sets his comically assured captain in the midst of it. Although Delano’s

Now it is time to examine some of the symbols around them that reveals the story’s central message and Melville’s attitude on race. First, there is the character of Benito Cereno. His character, like his scabbard, is empty (Melville 225), swayed by the two strong characters beside him who wage an invisible war through him. Delano’s kindly desire to understand wrestles against Babo’s desperate attempts to hide within the person of Captain Cereno. Cereno is strained as he is tugged on by the two opponents. It appears at first that Delano wins by killing the slaves and capturing Babo, but the slave may have the final victory when Cereno follows him to death, captive still to his powerful will. Second, there is an importance given to coverings. Mists cover the ship, a tarpaulin covers the figurehead, and even the Spanish flag covers Cereno during the shaving scene. Secrecy is a vital theme to this story; nothing is meant to be clear or self-explanatory. This theme is important to remember as the true meaning of the story is being uncovered. Finally, there is the crucial scene of the knot. Delano approaches an old sailor tying a complex knot, a knot tied “for someone else to undo” (Melville 178). This knot is a symbol that is central to understanding what this story is meant to be; Melville’s story is a complex knot that must be sliced, untied, and scratched through to discover what it