Thursday, February 12, 2009

2nd Time Reading

I have to admit that I was a little doubtful of seeing the book differently by reading it a second time but I've found myself pleasantly surprised by the second reading. My opinions of characters and such haven't necessarily changed but they have been made more open and very two-sided. I can definitely see how two different people can read this book in two incredibly different contexts. Seeing them both, I'm actually having trouble deciding which approach I would like to take myself. It's also interesting how these "two sides" can be pro-slavery/anti-slavery or good/evil or babo/delano. There are so many ways to interpret this story, each one bringing something different to the reader. It's almost, as I read it, that Melville gave us a chance to create the book for ourselves and for that I admire him.
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2 comments:

  1. EmilyFebruary 12, 2009 at 4:09 PM

    I agree with your point of Melville letting us choose for ourselves! I enjoyed being able to see each character had some good and some evil in them during my second reading. My eyes were especially opened to Delano's character because he didn't seem quite as ridiculously naive the second time. I also didn't assume Cereno was innocent as quickly as I did with the first reading.

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  2. Carly StephensonFebruary 14, 2009 at 4:12 PM

    I wasn't sure whether or not my opinion would change about Delano or Babo upon a second reading either. After reading it again, I viewed Babo as a much stronger character because I knew his conniving ways the whole time through. One scene that stuck out in particular to me was the shaving scene, because it showed that Babo was a quick and intelligent thinker. I also paid more attention to the details and hints Melville gives throughout the story through his various paradoxes and ironic statements. For example, when Benito Cereno responds to Captain Delano's disagreement over the treatment of Spaniards on the ship: "At these words the Spaniard turned upon the American one of his sudden, staring, half-lunatic looks..."Doubtless, doubtless senor."
    Melville created deep characters, and rereading it a second time allowed for me to further explore how dynamic Babo and Cereno are.

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