Billy Budd, By Herman Melville

To quote Doug Horton, “The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity.” The two words “Simplicity” and “Complexity” are complete opposites in meaning; the first meaning “the quality or condition of being plain or natural” while the latter is defined as “the state or quality of being intricate or complicated”. In spite of this, these two words are intertwined in the short novel “Billy Budd”, written by Herman Melville. The author of Complexity wrote, “the purest spring water is a downright frightening mixture”. In other words, sometimes, there is no clear distinction on whether something is simple or complex. In some sections, the story devolves into the basic human instincts used by our ancestors, and is “simple”. However, in other sections,
more complex ideas are brought to light under the guise of fundamental ideas, such as the proverbial “fight or flight” response and the idea of life or death. Even today, the fight between “pro-choice” and “pro-life” groups on abortion exemplifies how a theoretically “simple” idea could become so heated and debatable. This novel magnifies and even exaggerates the ideas of simplicity and complexity to get across its message to the readers. The idea of “simplicity” in this novel can be largely attributed to the essence of Billy Budd’s character.
From the beginning of the novel, Melville starts the building up of essential elements that makes Billy who he is. The first time Billy is mentioned in this book, the nickname “Baby Budd” is used, emphasizing Billy’s young innocence compared to the hardened, sailors of the warship, Bellipotent. Unlike the other sailors, Billy is not jaded, but rather unmindful of the atmosphere surrounding his transfer. The narrator says, “Of self-consciousness he seemed to have little or none, or about as much as we may reasonably impute to a dog of Saint Bernard’s breed.”[pg 14] A comparison between a human and a dog brings an effect to the reader that Billy Budd must not be very intelligent. Much like a dog, Billy Budd cannot understand the intricacies of human expression, like mixed signals or sarcasm. When asked about his birth and the identity of his father, Billy responds, “God knows, sir.”[pg 14] Being an orphan can be tough to express to others, and not knowing who your father can be embarrassing. However, Billy, without stuttering or hesitating, delivers this simple, frank response. His disregard of the social norm even astounds the officer who asks the question. This directness coincides with an idea presented in the “Simplicity” article. In it, the author writes, “Simplicity also suggests a concept that is understood.” Billy is simple in that he is completely transparent, and completely understood by the reader. Through Billy’s babyish, handsome appearance, the narrator seems to link that to Billy’s inner qualities. When Billy’s face is visualized, so is his virtue. He does not have a “deep, mysterious inside,” that authors often generate to add depth, or create an interesting element to a character. What Billy says is a direct translation of his mind. Billy reaffirms this in his actions too. Onboard the Rights of Man, a sailor by the nickname Red Whiskers tries
to bully Billy and gives Billy a dig under the ribs. Billy’s immediate reaction to this was to strike back and give “the burly fool a terrible drubbing.” Instead of analyzing the situation, or even confronting his threat verbally, he does it immediately and physically. Billy talks with his actions, rather than his words. In this respect, he is alike to pre-civilized man, who depended on instinct, rather than intelligence. Billy shows consistency as well, when he is confronted by Claggart and falsely accused of mutiny. Again, his primal instincts take over, and Billy is on autopilot while he eliminates his threat by delivering a fatal blow to Claggart. Stuck in a suspenseful situation, Billy defaults to his instincts and throws the punch that leads to his own demise. Melville skillfully crafts Billy Budd as a character by making him the very definition of simplicity. K. C. Cole writes, “Ironically, as the fundamental understanding becomes simpler, it often seems further removed from complex reality.” This could not be more accurate of Billy. By being so simple, he sticks out like a sore thumb wherever he is. While Billy as a character is extremely simple, Billy as an ideal and part of the whole narrative is complex. His ability to attract other towards him and his status as “The Handsome Sailor” raises many questions. The way that others react towards him is complex; some are drawn to him unexpectedly(Red Whiskers), while others are repelled by him(Claggart). In this novel, simplicity is never without complexity.
Some things that may seem simple, in fact, may be complex if looked under a different light. Take, for example, Claggart’s hate towards Billy Budd. A quote by K.C. Cole in Complexity describes this section well: “On the human scale, things are messy; with so many moving different players and moving parts, it’s impossible to keep track of what’s going on, much less completely understand it.” From the narrator’s(also reader’s) omnipotent point of view, it is clear that Claggart has animosity towards Billy, but for Billy, there is no indication whatsoever that Claggart has anything else but a liking towards him. There is no fundamental law, or simple explanation for why this happened. Human behavior is not something that can be explained by mathematical formulas, or laws. In this case, Claggart’s hatred of Billy is unfounded, since Billy did nothing to provoke him. Rather, Claggart has contempt for Billy for the sole reason that Billy is handsome and he carries the title of “The Handsome Sailor”. What is not understood is why Claggart hates Billy for being handsome. Maybe when Claggart was young, he always wanted to be, but never was “The Handsome Sailor”. Or maybe, Claggart is jealous of the way Billy’s handsomeness causes the other sailors to respond differently to him. No one knows because it is not said in the novel. The lack of information creates more questions than answers, and creates a mysterious aura on Claggart’s personality. Another complex theme in this novel is Captain Vere’s choice on whether to condemn Billy to death, or to let him go. Theoretically, it seems like a simple life or death choice; one option, or the other. However, in reality, it is anything but. Each choice has its different set of consequences. Cole writes in Complexity, “It takes many thousands of molecules to make a person, almost as many to make a pear.” The molecules are the consequences, and the decision is the person in Vere’s case. If Billy is condemned, a good, innocent man is killed, and the morality of the situation is questioned. However, this sets an example to those with actual mutinous intentions. If Billy is let go, an innocent man is allowed to continue living his life, but the crew will see the Captain as weak, and chaos will overtake the ship. Vere says, “They would think that we flinch, that we are afraid of them-- afraid of practicing a lawful rigor singularly demanded at this juncture…”[99] The decision that Vere makes extends far beyond the life of Billy Budd, due to its complexity. He must take into account his duty as the Captain of the Bellipotent, but he must also weigh the life of Billy Budd in his hands.The moment right before Billy Budd’s hanging is highly important and gives the story between the lines even more depth. Right before Billy dies, he yells out, “God bless Captain Vere!”[115] This short line is like an atom, described by Cole. It seems small and insignificant, yet it is a building block and highly complex in itself. By saying these words before his death, Billy manages to communicate to the lower crew members that Captain Vere was not at fault for his hanging. The crew repeats this, and any feeling of mutiny or rebellion is dissolved as they return to their daily schedule. At an individual level, the plot is not hard to understand, but in this story, the plot is not the point of interest. It is the complexity that surrounds the themes and ideals in this story that make it a heavily discussed and debated literary work even today. Yet, all the major points all come down to the simplest elements. Billy’s fatal blow is essentially a primitive defense instinct, Vere’s decision comes down to a fork in the road for the traveler to choose which path to continue. In this novel, complexity is never without simplicity.
On a molecular level, simple atoms make up the things we care about: books, your family, pizza. But these are the same atoms that are composed of miniscule quarks, subatomic particles, that we are incapable of visualizing or seeing with our own eyes. In one view, something can seem simple; easily understood. However, with a different perspective, it may be very obscure and complicated. This is very true in the novel Billy Budd, by Herman Melville. It explores the morality and the dilemma of maintaining order while making legal exceptions. Is Claggart’s murder justified? When can you make exceptions in the law? These complex and hard to answer questions are presented under the guise of the uncomplicated plotline, and Billy’s simple-mindedness. Melville hammers Billy’s simpleness again and again, making the plot seem even more simpler than it already is. However, it removes Billy as an element farther from reality, and that is what makes the novel so obscure and indefinite, and complex all at the same time. Melville masterfully constructs the characters and plot in a way that Billy Budd seems simple, yet has an overall complex undertext at the same time.