Herman Melville - Blueprints for Stories - Comparing the Likeness of Bartelby and Billy Budd
...ill fight when badly provoked, he is a very well mannered man. For instance, he was once enticed by Red Whiskers and rather than resulting to violence he “reasoned with him in a pleasant way” (Melville 106). Rather than taking to violence, and giving in to evil, his initial attempt was to avoid the conflict all together. Bartleby does a good job avoiding conflict through his entire story. Bartleby remains calm and only replies with refusals, even when his hot tempered co-workers explode with anger. His co-workers overhear him preferring to not do his work, and they enter the office of the lawyer. In the office, they exchange their opinion of what they would prefer they lawyer to do with Bartleby. Even with this hostile environment, Bartleby remains come and does not get involved. Although Billy and Bartleby were at one point in the story heroes, they both have flaws. This is one example of how the stories have similar character attributes. Billy’s flaws were somewhat surprising. His physical description sets him apart from all the characters in the story. He is a very beautiful man and nothing less than a “handsome sailor” (Melville 109). This gorgeous example of a human is flawless with his initial impression with no “visible blemish” (Melville 111). Such a handsome man is not expected to have any faults. Therefore, it seems unfit for him to be so unfortunately inflicted with “an occasional liability to a vocal defect” (Melville 111). Billy’s vocal imperfection only arises “under sudden provocation” (Melville 111). This speech impediment haunts Billy in the end, ultimately leading to his death. He is accused of wrong doing by Claggart, face to face in front of Captain Vere. With his emotions starting to build, he was having trouble speaking. He could not defend him self due to his speech defect. His only defense was a quick punch to Claggart’s forehead which killed him. This turning point changed Billy from the perfect man to a murderer. He was corrupted by his defect into becoming a “wrong doer too” (Arendt 397). Once this crime was committed, he was executed. Thus his flaw led to his death. Comparable to the feature illustrated by Budd that led to his downfall is Bartleby’s depression. This characteristic makes his example setting work ethic short lived. Not long after his career began as a copyist did his attitude begin to change. For instance, when he was asked to help proofread a paper he had written, he bluntly replied “[he] would prefer not to” (Melville 10). Bartleby continued writing, but repetitively refused to help proof any papers. One day when his boss arrived, he told him “he had decided upon doing no more writing” (Melville 21). After he had decided to do no more work, he became a statue in the office. Due to his depression he would not speak to anyone, he would not work, nor would he leave the office when asked by the lawyer. The lawyer had asked many times for the stubborn scrivener to quit his job and leave the office but he continued to refuse. The only way for the lawyer to escape without resulting to violence was to move his business elsewhere. After the business was moved Bartleby remained at the building, he refused to go anywhere. He was given many chances to leave and never did, so he eventually ended up in the New York City Prison. In the Tombs Bartleby eventually dies. This is another example of how a flaw leads to the death of a character, which “Bartleby, the Scrivener” and “Billy Budd” both portray. The past of Billy Budd and Bartleby is virtually unknown. Both stories start near the end of the characters lives. The absence of biographical information on each character “is an irreparable loss to literature” (Melville 34). Billy Budd is repeatedly asked of his history and his replies were empty. When quizzed by an officer concerning his place of birth, he replied “Please, sir I don’t know” (Melville 10). He then admits he knows nothing of his past other than the fact he was “found in a pretty silk-lined basket hanging one morning from the knocker of a good man’s door in Bristol” (Melville 110). This empty past gives the reader a chance to create their own idea of how Billy grew up to become such a perfect sailor. Bartleby’s past is very similar, blank “other than one vague report” (Melville 34), which leaves only the information given in the story for one to build a mental image of the character. In each story a counter-part to the main character is found. In “Billy Budd” one can easily see that a relationship is formed between Billy and Captain Vere. Billy and Captain Vere’s friendship grows through the story until it is tested in the end. Vere, being the Captain, is in charge of the trial for Billy’s murder. Their association did not hinder the decision made by Vere to execute Billy. In many ways it is believed that their closeness is what sparked the quick trial and execution. Vere did not want to “undercut [his] commitment to the state, [or] perhaps his masculine identity” (Rogin 213). By allowing Billy to live and not be punished for his crime would lessen Vere’s creditability with his peers, and higher authorities as well. With this in mind, he knew that “the living Billy was a threat to [his] authority” (Bloom 213). Vere also feared the chance of an outbreak of this violence from the lower rank shipmen against their superiors. This further encourages Vere’s prompt response toward the actions of Billy. Vere allowed society to control his decisions considering Billy’s trial. Had he not been in the eye of the public, he might have reacted differently, trying to save the life of his friend. Bartleby acquired much the same relationship with hi...