Herman Melville´s novel "Benito Cereno" was published 1856 in "The Piazza Tales". It based on a real-life incident described in Amasa Delano´s "Narrative of Voyages and valley in the Northern and Western Hemispheres" (1817). Relying on the source for the basic plot, Melville added a few additions to transform the factual report in a cryptic narrative relevant for readers of the 1850s. This term paper deals with the question of how the author deals with certain issues and why.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Stylistic Devices
2.1 Mood and Interpretation
2.2 Finding Melville´s Truth
3 Summary
Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the stylistic techniques employed by Herman Melville in his 1856 novel "Benito Cereno." The primary objective is to analyze how Melville utilizes metaphorical imagery, Gothic conventions, and the manipulation of the reader's perspective to navigate themes of racial prejudice, colonial decay, and the challenge of discerning truth within a cryptic narrative.
- The role of Gothic elements and atmospheric imagery in setting the mood.
- The discrepancy between Captain Delano's perceptions and the objective reality on board the San Dominick.
- Melville's social commentary on 1850s racial politics and the impending American Civil War.
- The use of "objective correlatives" and symbolism to reflect internal states and historical shifts.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 Mood and Interpretation
In the course of Benito Cereno one recognize quickly that Herman Melville created a medium that feels as if we join in the story. The reader accompanies Captain Delano aboard the Bachelor's Delight one morning in 1799. The area is devoid of humanity when a strange ship appeared in fogged distance.
"The morning was one peculiar to that coast. Everything was mute and calm; everything gray. The sea, though undulated into long roods of swells, seemed fixed, and was sleeked at the surface like waved lead that has cooled and set in the smelter's mould. The sky seemed a gray surtout. Flights of troubled gray fowl, kith and kin with flights of troubled gray vapors among which they were mixed, skimmed low and fitfully over the waters, as swallows over meadows before storms. Shadows present, foreshadowing deeper shadows to come" (online-literature.com).
The silence seems peaceful but we are tensed. It is comparable to something everyone has experienced already. Going through an empty street at night one get a queasy feeling. Suddenly we find ourselves exposed to a danger, we cannot see but we have heard of. Our wits become sharper immediately. The gothic mood arises from foreshadowings here. Potential dangers are not visible to the unaided eye. We need to think further. It is impossible to see clearly because everything is shrouded in a mysterious veil. Melville´s emphasis here is on gray. Contrast and contours disappear. At least the last sentence of the passage provides a hint that a conflict will come.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter contextualizes the novel within the period leading up to the American Civil War and introduces the difficulty of interpreting Melville’s metaphoric prose.
2 Stylistic Devices: This section explores how Melville uses various literary techniques to control the narrative atmosphere and the reader's perception.
2.1 Mood and Interpretation: This sub-chapter analyzes how Gothic imagery and sensory details are used to create suspense and mirror the internal state of the characters.
2.2 Finding Melville´s Truth: This sub-chapter examines the limitations of the narrator’s perspective and the irony created by Captain Delano’s prejudices regarding race and status.
3 Summary: This chapter concludes that the novel is a complex exploration of human perception and the subjective nature of truth.
Keywords
Herman Melville, Benito Cereno, Gothic novel, Stylistic devices, Racial prejudice, Captain Delano, Narrative perspective, Symbolism, Civil War, Ambiguity, Interpretation, San Dominick, Colonialism, Irony, Truth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this paper?
The paper explores how Herman Melville employs specific stylistic devices in "Benito Cereno" to obscure and eventually reveal complex truths about human nature and power dynamics.
What are the primary thematic fields addressed?
The central themes include the ambiguity of signs, the nature of racial prejudice, the influence of historical context on literature, and the Gothic atmospheric representation of decay.
What is the central research question?
The study investigates how and why the author uses particular literary strategies to challenge the reader's understanding of events aboard the ship San Dominick.
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The author performs a literary analysis, focusing on stylistic techniques, interpretative approaches to Gothic elements, and an examination of historical and symbolic context.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body breaks down the novel's Gothic mood, the psychological limitations of the narrator, the significance of the Gordian knot metaphor, and the historical intersection with the Haitian Revolution and American racial politics.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Melville, Gothic, ambiguity, racism, perception, and narrative irony.
How does Captain Delano’s characterization influence the reader?
Delano serves as a limited narrator whose own biases and "benign racism" prevent him from correctly interpreting the reality of the mutiny, forcing the reader to look beyond his perspective to find the truth.
In what way does the setting of the San Dominick function symbolically?
The ship is presented as a ruin, symbolizing the decaying power of Spain and the moral bankruptcy of the slave trade, serving as a claustrophobic venue for the unfolding tragedy.
Why is the "Gordian knot" scene considered significant?
It acts as a pivotal moment where the failure of Delano to interpret a symbolic sign highlights his chronic inability to recognize the danger and complexity of his surroundings.
- Quote paper
- Enneriema Aunerz (Author), 2011, Herman Melville's Stylistic Devices in "Benito Cereno", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/449846
