Cereno: both good and evil

After reading Benito Cereno for a second time, I became more aware of Melville’s use of double entendre. After the first reading I was very suspicious of Cereno and saw him as a co-conspirator in the mutiny. The constant reference to the young Spanish sailor coupled with Delano’s criticism of Cereno’s status of nobility made me think that Cereno and the slaves overthrew the elite members of the crew. On second reading, however, I was able to see Cereno in a different light. I saw many instances where Melville used double entendre as opportunities for Cereno to drop hints to Delano about the condition of the ship and the mutiny. Because the other Spanish sailors were killed and only Cereno’s testimony was included in the deposition, it’s difficult for me to take a clear stance on the character of Cereno. I think that Melville used devices like litotes and irony so that the characters could be seen in different ways. While I do not think he intended this book as an anti-slavery message, I think he uses slavery and this account of a true story as a vehicle for his opinions on good and evil. It seems that many of the characters, like the negresses, have both good and evil in them, and that depending on the perspective of the reader can be read in either light. I think Melville’s conclusion on good and evil is that, like beauty, it is almost in the eye of the beholder, hence his frequent reference to grey.