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Abdullah Murad
AP Literature
February 5,2013
Ginger Kidd
Herman Melvilles Conflicting Parties: Good or Evil?
Herman Melville is one of the greatest American writers. His classic literature discusses
themes ranging from the battle between good and evil to the importance of fraternity. He is most
notably known for the classic novel Moby Dick. In addition to this classic, Melville has written
many other great novels including Billy Budd and Redburn. The plots, conflicts, and settings of
many of his novels are inspired by events from his own life. Melville was born into a well off
family in 1819. Allan Melville, his father and a travelling merchant, was not around for most of
his childhood; He died when Melville was only 13 years old, and the void left by his death
greatly impacted Melvilles writing later on. Allans death Melvilles family to fall on financial
hard times. At the crisp age of 20, Melville became a cabin boy on the Acushnet to help support
his family. Over his nautical career, Melville held a variety of positions, partook in mutinies, and
familiarized himself with the life of a sailor. The experiences he gained, according to Carly
Rollyson, greatly helped him write many of his novels (124). Herman Melville wrote the novels
Moby Dick, Billy Budd, and Redburn, autobiographically to depict his own struggles during his
voyages at sea. In these voyages, the main characters often experience a clash between good and
evil. The two conflicting parties are never purely good or evil, but a mix of both. Melville wrote
these novels to represent the occasionally ambiguous and at times not so ambiguous area of good
and evil in the conflicts which he experienced as a sailor.

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Autobiographical
To write his novels, Melville drew from his own experiences as a sailor. Melville himself
was a practiced sailor. There are many similarities between Melvilles main characters and
himself. In Redburn, Melville writes about Wellingborough Redburn, a young boy about to go
on his first voyage. Both Melville and Redburn come from well-off families, but are forced to
work menial jobs to support their families when their fathers pass away. Redburn finds work as a
ship boy on the Highlander. Tyrus Hillway found that Redburns distaste for cleaning the
chicken coops and pigpens on deck is comparable to Melvilles own experience as a ship boy
(34). Redburn starts off as the laughing stock of the crew, but gains their respects as he learns the
ropes of the Highlander. Redburns journey is symbolic of Melvilles own experiences from an
unskilled boy to a hardened sailor.
According to Carly Rollyson, Lisa Paddock, and Tyrus Hillway, Melville drew
inspiration for Moby Dick from his times on the Acushnet (Paddock 124) (Hillway 35). Though
the Acushnets path didn't follow that of the Pequod (the whaling ship that Ishmael worked on),
there were undoubtedly similarities such as the crews discontent attitude towards the captain
and the purpose of the voyage. Like Melville, Ishmael didn't have a strong relationship with his
father: he didn't even know him. Moby Dick was arguably less autobiographical then Redburn,
but still has significance.
Melville gained the idea to write Billy Budd from a story he heard about three sailors who
were hung for mutiny while he was stationed in Callao (Hillway 39) (Rogan 198). Like Melville
and his other heroes, Billy Budd didn't know his father. Although some critics like Jonathan Arac
regards Billy Budd as Melvilles most fictitious novel, for the purpose of this essay, it holds
autobiographical significance (71). After establishing that Melvilles novels were certainly

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autobiographically written, it is possible to deduce that the events and conflicts in his novels
have a correlation with the events from Melvilles own life.
Journeys
In many of Melvilles novels, the main character is forced to partake in a journey away
from his home or the norm. In Moby Dick, Billy Budd, and Redburn, the causes of these journeys
all differ, but the outcome is the same: conflict. In Moby Dick, Ishmael, a former school teacher,
rationalizes going to sea primarily because of the pay, but also because of the wholesome
exercise and pure air of the deck (26). Billy Budd is introduced as a veteran sailor, but changes
ships from The Rights-Of-Man to the Bellipotent because he entered the kings service, or he
was drafted (6). Redburn leaves for his voyage since we [his family] are short of money as a
result of the death of his father (13). All of these journeys were under similar situations to what
Melville experienced in his life. Because of their changing environments, Billy Budd, Ishmael,
and Redburn all experienced life changing conflicts. These conflicts drove the plot of each of
their respective novels. The two groups in each of these conflicts cannot be clearly defined as
either good or evil, as is the case in real life. Melville wrote these novels to represent the
sometimes ambiguous and sometimes not so ambiguous area of good and evil in the conflicts
which he experienced as a sailor.
Conflict
In Melvilles novels, conflict between two opposing sides dominates the plot. The entire
synopsis of Moby Dick is based on Captain Ahabs conflict with the White Whale, Billy Budd
focuses on the conflict between Billy Budd and Claggart, and Redburn is tormented by a seaman
named Jackson. While at first glance, most would appoint the main characters as a symbol for
good, taking a different perspective, the opposite can also be true.

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Moby Dick
In Moby Dick, the main conflict is that between Moby Dick the whale and Captain Ahab.
This conflict results in many other conflicts, such as the ones between Captain Ahab and the
crew (specifically Starbuck) and Captain Ahab and the other ships captains. Moby Dick is
different from Billy Budd and Redburn in that the conflict is not centered around the main
character. The reader is even unaware for the conflict until well into the book. Captain Ahab is
described as a grand, ungodly, god-like man, a man of few words, and a legendary character
(136). He is pitted against an equally marvelous opponent: Moby Dick. Moby Dick is the largest
sperm whale in existence with a length of ninety feet and with a circumference of a little less
than forty feet(684). It is also thought to weigh at least 90 tons (684). Moby Dick is mostly
white, and undoubtedly intelligent. The source of this conflict was an attempt by Captain Ahab
to capture Moby Dick years ago which led to Moby Dick deforming and handicapping Captain
Ahab. Moby Dick was also damaged by harpoons to his face, which remain unhealed to this day.
Both characters are enigmatic and god-like compared to the rest, but which one is good and
which evil?
Billy Budd
In Billy Budd, the central conflict occurs between Billy Budd and Claggart. Other
conflicts occur as a result such as the one between Billy Budd and Captain Vere and Captain
Vere and Claggart. Billy Budd is the newly assigned foretopman in the Bellipotent. He is
incredibly charismatic and adorned by his fellows as a handsome sailor (5). Claggart on the
other hand, was described by the narrator as the mania of an evil nature which was born in him
and innate (30). Billy Budd and Claggart seem to be polar opposites, one naturally good and the

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other evil. Naturally, Claggart seems to be the embodiment of evil but upon closer evaluation, he
is not entitled to nearly as much blame as he receives.
On one hand, Billy Budd represents good and Claggart evil. But from a different
perspective, Claggart should not be an object of wickedness, but of pity. The evil inside him is
innate a depravity according to nature. (30) Should Claggart really be to blame for atrocities
over which he has no intentional control?
Redburn
In Redburn, the most impactful conflict is between Redburn and his shipmates. One
shipmate mentioned to be explicitly vicious is Jackson, a veteran sailor. Redburn is an
inexperienced patrician boy forced to work a plebian life. He enlists onto the Highlander as a
lowly boy, completely innocent and naive to the dangers of the world. Onboard, he is harassed
by his crewmates for being unprepared for his journey. The leader of the harassers, Jackson is
described as having a bitter enmity towards Redburn and causes the entire crew to hate him
(176). He is the best sailor aboard the Highlander and rules the sailors with shock and awe of his
abilities. Many critics consider Redburn to be the symbol of innocence and good and Jackson the
symbol of evil, but does Jackson deserve all of the blame that he receives?
Conclusion
Melville, being a veteran sailor and author, likely experienced conflicts similar to those
mentioned in his novels. Often times in real life, conflicts are not clearly good versus evil.
Melville understood this and wrote the novels Moby Dick, Billy Budd, and Redburn,
autobiographically to depict the struggles he saw on his own trips. In these voyages, the main
character often experiences a clash between good and evil. The two conflicting parties are not
purely good or evil, but a mix of both. Melville wrote these novels to represent the occasionally

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ambiguous and at times not so ambiguous area of good and evil in the conflicts which he
experienced as a sailor.

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Works Cited
Arac, Jonathan. Narrative Forms: Crisis and Consolidation in The Cambridge History of
American Literature, vol. 2 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995): pp772-73.
Rpt. In Blooms Major Short Story Writers: Herman Melville. ED. Harold Bloom.
Broomall, PA: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999. 72-73.
Hillway, Tyrus. Herman Melville. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1963. Print.
Melville, Herman. Billy Budd. Raleigh, N.C.: Alex Catalogue, 199. Print.
---. Moby Dick or The Whale. Champaign, Ill.: Project Gutenberg, 199. Print.
---. Redburn. London: J. Cape, 1937. Print.
Rogan, Michael Paul. The Somers Mutiny and Billy Budd: Melville in the Penal Colony.
Subversive Genealogy: The Politics and Art of Herman Melville. (1979) Rpt. in Herman
Melville. ED. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. 197-209.
Rollyson, Carl E., and Lisa Olson Paddock. Herman Melville A to Z: The Essential Reference to
His Life and Work. New York: Facts on File, 2001. Print.