Throughout “Benito Cereno” I found myself focusing on Melville’s use of characterization. He seemed to provide at least two opinions about every individual which, while somewhat confusing, allows the reader to form their own opinion of the main characters.
On the first page, Melville describes Delano’s “undistrustful good nature.” However, later on board the San Dominick he “felt an apprehensive twitch in the calves of his legs” which would imply that Delano wasn’t so distrusting after all. He was shown to be an “American in charity” and yet when Cereno jumped aboard his boat Delano tried to physically harm him.
Cereno’s characterization is even more disconnected than Delano’s. When the reader is first introduced to Cereno it is clear that something is off with him. He seems gloomy and mentally unstable. Delano wonders if this comes from “innocent lunacy or wicked imposture.” As the story progresses, one can feel Delano’s sense of uneasiness around Cereno. At one point Delano even thinks Cereno will kill him but Delano quickly excuses this apprehension away.
I think Melville’s constant questioning of a character’s personality traits and statements cause a reader to truly think about questions such as “Is Delano really as naïve as he seems? Is Cereno a bad guy or just really socially awkward?” By not giving a crystal clear depiction of either main character Melville heightens suspense. He also engages the reader and allows the reader to create a part of the story and characterization for themselves before details are revealed at the end of the story.
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Hello Emily
ReplyDeleteI also had trouble with Melville's inconsistencies in characterization and had trouble believing the plot as it was narrated. That was until I read the introduction and learned that the novella is based on an actual account of an actual event. What is interesting about this is that the account that it is based on is explicitly one sided: Benito Cereno is translated by Herman Melville from the point of view of the actual spanish sea captain. The novel should be read bearing in mind that the original author intended to portray himself as inculpable. This point of view also would explain Delano's naivete, Cereno's and his crew's helplessness, and Babo's unwavering, scheming evil. This theory is enforced by the neatness of the deposition at answering all of our questions very precisely. It sounds like someone made up the whole story, and we must remember that in the original context, someone essentially did - A sea captain who didn't want to lose face?