The Power of Deception
Herman Melville’s main purpose for his story “Benito Cereno” is first not clear at the beginning of his story. Even at the end we still find no true absolutes, no straightforward answers, and we are left wanting more.
The entire plot that Melville establishes is brilliant considering the circumstances and time period he is writing about. This is the part of the story that intrigues me the most. When the issue of loyalty first arises it continues to remain an issue for the rest of the story. There’s the loyalty that occurs between Cereno and Babo, Babo and the rest of his people on the boat, and the loyalty between Cereno and Delano. The main theme that occurs here is deception. The elaborate staging made by Babo is done to deceive Captain Delano all in hopes for the slaves to be freed.
Because of the fact that Delano suffers from being overly trusting he oversees any situation that should be viewed as alarming to any logical person. Of course Melville’s entire staging of the slaves acting as slaves and Cereno acting as the captain was enough for Delano to believe anything he was told. This third person omniscient narrative leaves the reader wanting to help Delano see the full truth because he was being deceived. The scene where Atufal approaches in chains is only one example of masking a situation to ease Delano’s suspicions. Before this particular scene Delano witnesses an event where “one of the black boys, enraged at a word dropped by one of his white companions, seized the knife, and, though called to forbear by one of the oakum-pickers, struck the lad over the head, inflicting a gash from which blood flowed” (Melville pg. 179). Concerned that Delano might jump to assumptions, Babo is quick to plan something that would reassure Delano that everything is as it should be. This is when Atufal comes out in chains. It eases Delano’s securities and he was again is deceived from knowing the truth.
It’s unfortunate that the role-playing occurring upon the ship blinds Delano. He is continuously ignores the signs and “warnings” which should be acknowledged. While the slaves are committing acts of loyalty to each other they are also committing treason by tricking and fooling Delano. It was difficult for me to choose whether I was rooting for Cereno or Babo and his crew to come out on top in the end. Slavery in my eyes is immoral. If you are a slave it is difficult for you to get out of it and it is difficult to find safety anywhere with a target on your back. The slaves in this story resort to their last option in hopes of conquering freedom. They are the ultimate victims so where is the line drawn between who was in the wrong? For these slaves liberty is not something that is handed to them so they feel the only way to get it is to take it! I find myself rooting for Babo and his crew to win their freedom because it is something they were denied.
It appears that Melville is deliberately portraying blacks as being rightly condemned to slavery while warning his readers that if they aren’t careful this in fact could happen to them. Slaves are not as dumb as the whites perceive them to be and with the perfect masking of any situation the unthinkable could be done.
Amanda, I think it is great that you touched on the parallel existence of deceit and loyalty in Melville’s Benito Cereno. I agree these are prevalent topics in the story, and it is very interesting, as the reader, to observe, as you stated “the elaborate staging made by Babo.” I further agree that Delano’s trust in stereotypes lends to his being deceived by Babo and the others aboard the ship. As you pointed out, his worries are eased when he observes such instances as Atufal in chains, or Babo upholding Cereno.
ReplyDeleteWhen first reading the story I also found myself feeling terribly for Cereno, and the fact that he was being domineered by Babo. Yet, as I learned the reasoning behind the staging by Babo and the others, I also found myself rooting for Babo. As you stated, staging this act was Babo’s and the others’ only chance of obtaining freedom. I agree, they had to seize this opportunity; it was their only chance of having freedom, and in spite of the violent measures it required, it was worth the risk.
Although, I am not sure that Melville was attempting to portray blacks as deserving of slavery, I do agree that he was seeking to make a point to the whites concerning the intelligence of blacks. I agree that Benito Cereno may have been written as a warning to the whites to not undermine the abilities and intelligence of blacks, that they were not “too stupid” (201) or “having a limited mind” (212).