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The Handsome Sailor
The world of Billy Budd bears definite similarities to previous readings about the age of sail. Though Billy is the protagonist, the work takes place on a larger scale. The work describes the larger context of the Atlantic navies as a whole, which works out to intimately portray the details of Billy Budd’s ship and impressment. At the core of this description and the story that follows is the ideal of Billy Budd as the archetype of the Innocent. Billy Budd is the ideal innocent who, though tested by travails and harrowing harassment, is still uncorrupted by worldly evils at the end. Billy budd does change significantly, but maintains his core of innocence, despite his eventual execution on falsified charges.
The corrupting worldliness which seeks to pollute and punish Billy’s innocent spirit could not have arisen from the brutality inherent in nature, but, rather, stems from a systematic cruelty present only in civilization.
When Billy is approached by the mutineer, he refuses to participate in a treasonous act because such rebellion is so far from his nature. However, he displays his goodliness by making a conscious effort not to reveal the mutineers intentions to his fellows. Such conscientiousness labels Billy as following a higher law that is represented by camaraderie among shipmates.
Though Billy is wrongly accused of potentially treasonous action and thoughts, his innocence, which is the core reason behind the accusations, the falsified execution does not corrupt his inner spirit.
