An Analysis Of Insanity In Billy Budd By Herman Melville

In this passage, Melville illustrates the true insanity that brewed beneath Claggart’s facade of calm immovability. Claggart’s lunacy is even more disturbing than most, for it is neither continuous nor obvious, but rather is only “evoked by some special object”. In this case, the “special object” is Billy Budd and his childlike innocence. After the spilling of the soup, Claggart is convinced that Billy is conspiring against him. This shows how imbalanced the disciplinary officer was, and how he was even to reason with himself that he was still sane So this passage is important as it displays the turning point of Claggart’s mind, and how he inwardly determined to defeat Billy Budd one way or