Benito Cereno and Justice in a Segregated America

In Benito Cereno, by Herman Melville, it immediately becomes obvious that the “villain” Babo is not given the equality or just right to have a voice. He must use actions to voice his opinions and ideals, and must strive for freedom silently. The practicality of his silence connects to the charade he and the crew must keep up to trick Delano they have not revolted, and to manipulate the predispositions of Delano, who is ambivalent on the issue of slavery and expects subservience from the Africans. The character of Delano in this regard is an allusion to the American public as a whole; American society believed in the ideals of liberty and freedom in a post-civil war society, yet were bound to the fugitive slave act. Northerners who were abolitionists or merely sympathizers were also threatened with persecution and legal prosecution, while any African or African-American was susceptible to capture and questioning by any White citizen, whether fugitive or freedman.

In this time in history maroon societies existed in the Caribbean with their own sense of independence and freedom, yet also had the constant threat of capture in the background. Much like the ship, the Africans led their own community without the influence of White leadership or society, yet they were also very susceptible to attack. By the time Benito Cereno was written, maroon societies dwindled in the Caribbean, but some remained on the larger islands. Much like the Africans surrounded by hostile nations in the open waters, so did maroon societies exist in isolated locations surrounded by plantations off the mountains. In this sense, Melville is very critical of the American ideals versus the harsh realities the world was living in. The United States was living in a state of extreme hypocrisy, at the expense of many lives.

Going back to Babo as a character however, as a singular person he is equally stranded amongst characters with negative predispositions towards him. He is still a slave, no matter how loyal or competent he may appear to Delano. This confusion of Delano mirrors the process of pulling prejudices from the reader; is he a super villain with exceptional cunning, or an equal to the White captains, just reacting to his position with intelligent decision-making? His educational background is unclear, which leaves the readers with a gray area to decipher as to whether or not Babo is extremely intelligent, more so than his Captain, or an equal in learning. I prefer to think it is the former, as Babo seems to be not only cunning and calculative, but intelligent in a less vicious sense, and is merely reacting to the horrible condition fate, and man, has placed him in, in the unjust role of a slave.