While the first reading of Benito Cereno was a struggle for me to just get the plot details correct, the second time around allowed me to focus more on Melville’s deliberate choices. It was evident that diction and language factored strongly into hidden and double meanings and my initial characterization of some of the characters were proven wrong. For example, when I first read the novel, I saw Delano’s character as naïve and inadvertently missing important information that was key to seeing what was actually occurring on the San Dominick. However, the second time around, Delano’s character seems annoying and ignorant. There are multiple signals, and even though some are taken in the context of double meanings, all of them complied together should have been enough to make him realize what was really happening. On page pg 95, Benito Cereno is saying his goodbye to Delano and states, “go, and God guard you better than me, my friend.” It is the small clues such as these that should make Delano realize there is more to the situation than he is actually picking up on. I also noticed that the shaving scene, which continued from the first reading, had more emotion and fear in it, especially for Benito, as he “shuddered” pg 86 when he saw the razor.
While I felt some parts of sympathy in the end for Cereno, I was still left with the feeling that he wasn’t completely trustworthy, as were none of the characters. Each of the characters was presented as being so multidimensional that it was hard to just apply one specific idea or characterization. For me, Cereno started out evoking sympathy during the second reading because it seemed as if he truly feared Babo and some of the others. End the end, I was more or less distrustful of his disposition and the way in which he wanted to present himself in the best light possible.
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I would have to agree that "ignorant" is the perfect word to describe Delano upon the second reading. At some parts it was a struggle for me to keep reading because the signs were so glaringly obvious and Delano just didn't get it! Benito's shuddering that you mentioned along with the constant fainting is reason for alarm in any situation, but especially one taking place on a creepy boat.
ReplyDeleteI think you brought up a very good point when you said that none of the characters were truly trustworthy. That seems to be something that not many people are taking into account when discussing/debating in class. The novel, especially the deposition, was so biased and one-sided that Melville gave us no real way of knowing what truly happened on board the San Dominick. I am glad you pointed out the distrustful nature of all the characters, because I think we are often quick to assume that whoever is narrating the story (in this case, Delano) must be right. Taking this ambiguity into account, the novel is even more mysterious and perplexing. But no matter how complex the situation...I still maintain that Delano is an idiot. :)