Captain Veere Character Analysis
Captain Vere is the character that represents the way the society expects of the individual in dealing with issues that are past personal jurisdiction. Through this character, the author is able to portray the need for every individual in the society to put away personal perceptions, emotions, and feelings while dealing with social obligations. While prosecuting Billy, Vere literally decides to follow the letter of the law and fails to apply the sense that Billy is the personification of goodness and innocence. The pressure on his position as leaders makes Vere to totally disregard his feelings about Billy’s situation and as a result, emphasizes that the Mutiny Act be should be obeyed by all men in the society. He also goes ahead to urge the
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jurors in the case to disregard their own feelings concerning the state of Billy in deciding the case. From the context of Billy’s trial, it is clear that laws govern the society and not the dictates of individual conscience and thus for every individual to fill a social role well, it demands an individual in an elevated position of leadership to sometimes go against his own impulses. Captain Vere wants to be a “good” captain, and thus it dawns on him that he has to do something that he interprets as a morally wrong according to his instincts which are condemning an innocent soul-Billy. In his own understanding, to be a good captain, it means that he has to be a bad friend to Billy who also may literally translate to being a bad captain when he becomes a good friend of Billy.
Captain Vere
The character of Vere displayed throughout the text is a depiction of the conflict that exists between the personality of an individual and the expectations of the society on that individual.
The situation during Billy’s trial is actually contradicting to the readers. From the dramatic point of view, it is true that Vere Likes Billy but distrusts Claggart and thus never trusts Claggart’s accusations on Billy. At the point where Billy strikes Claggart, Vere sympathizes with Billy emotionally. Throughout the flow of the accusation against Billy, Vere, not at any single point does he come to believe that Billy has committed any terrible mistake. “….to argue would be insolence, and resistance would be mutiny.” (20.2) This is a very trying moment for Vere for he realizes that he must put away his emotions away. He realizes that he has to side with what the society expects and thus supports the Jurors to go on with the trial. The fact that he urges the jury to disregard their own feeling about Billy does not mean that his liking and sympathy have changed, but it is as a result of the pressures that the society has put on him to act independently of his inner emotions. He is the one who pushes the jurors to punish Billy according to the letter of the
law.
From the personal perspective, Vere exonerates Billy. However, at the professional perspective as the ship’s captain, he finds that he dutifully has to punish him, and this is by allowing his captaincy role to supersede his inner emotions. In doing so, he tries to avoid taking full responsibility for Billy’s death which makes him be allegorized as the Pontius Pilate in the Bible. Vere sacrifices Billy because he clearly understands that the ultimate supremacy of the societal laws and principles which at the same time supersedes the personal desires and impulses. The narrator explains, “….manifested towards Billy was replaced by military disciplinarian.” (19.8).He clearly follows the provisions of the letter, and that is why he demonstrates how he places great faith in reason inclined on the rational philosophy than adhering to the dictates of his own inner emotions. Despite the fact that Vere is a Captain of the ship, he fails to successfully be a leader of men. His rigorous adherence to the rule of law, which is not genuine in terms of what he believes in as per Billy’s situation, is a failure to honor his moral responsibility to Billy.
In the application of the letter of the law in Billy’s case, the audience might feel that Vere was totally wrong and thus he should have followed his personal feelings regarding the case. However, in this context, the novel raises the question of why to the perception of the audience was Vere not able to follow his inner emotions. However, in a literal understanding, societal rules, and laws that govern the trial of an individual in a situation that Billy was are most commonly predicated on mistrust and cynicism on the side of members of the society. In the case of Billy, the accused should conduct himself in a manner that can exonerate him from the case even if the jurors do not adhere to their inner emotions. As the law puts the accused in custody, so it should be the one to exonerate him. However, Billy strikes Claggart, and this is what makes the jurors judge him as a guilty person. It does not mean whether Billy is guilty or not for the initial case that he was charged with. However, the main charge used against him is because he strikes Claggart. In this context, happenings like this one are too unique and complex for the societal law to be employed effectively. It is ironic that both Vere and the Juror argue to disregard personal emotions in deciding the case. However, it is plainly clear that they do not rely of the real course of law on to ensure that justice prevails either.
Captain Vere is the character that creates the ambiguity of the novel about the importance of making a critical judgmental decision, either the good of the society or the good of the individual. Also, having put the law before his own inner emotions, Vere finds himself tied up with the guilty feelings of on the decision he makes concerning Billy’s case. Before he dies, his last words are a repetition of Billy’s name, which is a clear sign that still had to bear guilty feelings concerning Billy’s death. In this text, as much as individual emotions are disregarded in making decisio
jurors in the case to disregard their own feelings concerning the state of Billy in deciding the case. From the context of Billy’s trial, it is clear that laws govern the society and not the dictates of individual conscience and thus for every individual to fill a social role well, it demands an individual in an elevated position of leadership to sometimes go against his own impulses. Captain Vere wants to be a “good” captain, and thus it dawns on him that he has to do something that he interprets as a morally wrong according to his instincts which are condemning an innocent soul-Billy. In his own understanding, to be a good captain, it means that he has to be a bad friend to Billy who also may literally translate to being a bad captain when he becomes a good friend of Billy.
Captain Vere
The character of Vere displayed throughout the text is a depiction of the conflict that exists between the personality of an individual and the expectations of the society on that individual.
The situation during Billy’s trial is actually contradicting to the readers. From the dramatic point of view, it is true that Vere Likes Billy but distrusts Claggart and thus never trusts Claggart’s accusations on Billy. At the point where Billy strikes Claggart, Vere sympathizes with Billy emotionally. Throughout the flow of the accusation against Billy, Vere, not at any single point does he come to believe that Billy has committed any terrible mistake. “….to argue would be insolence, and resistance would be mutiny.” (20.2) This is a very trying moment for Vere for he realizes that he must put away his emotions away. He realizes that he has to side with what the society expects and thus supports the Jurors to go on with the trial. The fact that he urges the jury to disregard their own feeling about Billy does not mean that his liking and sympathy have changed, but it is as a result of the pressures that the society has put on him to act independently of his inner emotions. He is the one who pushes the jurors to punish Billy according to the letter of the
law.
From the personal perspective, Vere exonerates Billy. However, at the professional perspective as the ship’s captain, he finds that he dutifully has to punish him, and this is by allowing his captaincy role to supersede his inner emotions. In doing so, he tries to avoid taking full responsibility for Billy’s death which makes him be allegorized as the Pontius Pilate in the Bible. Vere sacrifices Billy because he clearly understands that the ultimate supremacy of the societal laws and principles which at the same time supersedes the personal desires and impulses. The narrator explains, “….manifested towards Billy was replaced by military disciplinarian.” (19.8).He clearly follows the provisions of the letter, and that is why he demonstrates how he places great faith in reason inclined on the rational philosophy than adhering to the dictates of his own inner emotions. Despite the fact that Vere is a Captain of the ship, he fails to successfully be a leader of men. His rigorous adherence to the rule of law, which is not genuine in terms of what he believes in as per Billy’s situation, is a failure to honor his moral responsibility to Billy.
In the application of the letter of the law in Billy’s case, the audience might feel that Vere was totally wrong and thus he should have followed his personal feelings regarding the case. However, in this context, the novel raises the question of why to the perception of the audience was Vere not able to follow his inner emotions. However, in a literal understanding, societal rules, and laws that govern the trial of an individual in a situation that Billy was are most commonly predicated on mistrust and cynicism on the side of members of the society. In the case of Billy, the accused should conduct himself in a manner that can exonerate him from the case even if the jurors do not adhere to their inner emotions. As the law puts the accused in custody, so it should be the one to exonerate him. However, Billy strikes Claggart, and this is what makes the jurors judge him as a guilty person. It does not mean whether Billy is guilty or not for the initial case that he was charged with. However, the main charge used against him is because he strikes Claggart. In this context, happenings like this one are too unique and complex for the societal law to be employed effectively. It is ironic that both Vere and the Juror argue to disregard personal emotions in deciding the case. However, it is plainly clear that they do not rely of the real course of law on to ensure that justice prevails either.
Captain Vere is the character that creates the ambiguity of the novel about the importance of making a critical judgmental decision, either the good of the society or the good of the individual. Also, having put the law before his own inner emotions, Vere finds himself tied up with the guilty feelings of on the decision he makes concerning Billy’s case. Before he dies, his last words are a repetition of Billy’s name, which is a clear sign that still had to bear guilty feelings concerning Billy’s death. In this text, as much as individual emotions are disregarded in making decisio