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Title: Billy Budd by Herman Melville ISBN: 0-8125-0426-7 Publisher: Aerie Pub. Date: 15 May, 1992 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $2.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.48 (33 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Power and magnificence overcomes difficult writing
Comment: This novella is difficult to read, with long and complex sentences and perhaps unnecessary diversions. But its power and depth reward the effort it takes to read it.
"Billy Budd" is an allegory of a young seaman who strikes and kills a superior officer when the officer's cruelty and treachery become unbearable. The focus of the story is the debate over whether to execute the seaman (Billy Budd) for his crime. With passionate and terrifying logic, Melville (through the voice of Captain Vere) demonstrates that human perfection is impossible - not because we humans are weak, but because perfection simply does not and cannot exist in this world. To make decisions based on our notion of "divine justice" is not only impractical and foolhardy, according to Melville, but even immoral.
If you like to think of yourself as an idealist, then reading this book will leave some unanswered questions in your mind, possibly for the rest of your life. I first read this story more than thirty years ago, and it still affects the way I think about almost everything to this day.
Rating: 3
Summary: Billy Budd Review
Comment: Billy Budd is unlike any book I have ever read. The way it is written is very unique and elaborate. There are some aspects about the story I liked, however it had some weaker points.
Even though it is only 90 pages long, it is packed with complex sentences and ideas. It seemed to stray from the storyline occasionally and begin to ramble on about senseless things. The language and wording he used seemed unnecessary and irrelevant. Also, at times, it got somewhat boring to read. I read that the story parallels the story of Christ, and I would have to disagree. Christ sacrificed himself for mankind, when Billy never put others first at all.
What I did like about the book were it's characters. Melville used a minimal amount of characters in this book, unlike most books. Also, each character was deep, and they all seemed to be almost labeled. Billy, being the extremely innocent 21 year old, was nearly flawless. What I liked about him was that his one fault proved to be fatal, indirectly. Billy stuttered and had trouble speaking when under pressure, which drove him to lose his temper and accidentally kill Claggart, and for that he was hanged. Claggart, to me, seemed somewhat psychotic. He hid his anger and malice, and because of this, he suspected others did also. He hated Billy for no reason, just that he thought Billy was conspiring against him. Vere was a kind man, except for the fact that he let his work as a captain interfere with his morals, like when he sentenced Billy to be hanged.
Melville wrote this story with the main idea being good versus evil, and I liked that. He wrote it with Billy as good and Claggart representing evil, and this aspect was one of my favorite parts to this novel.
All in all, I thought the book had a good idea, but it was presented in the wrong way. There were parts I loved and parts I could not stand, so I give it a three of five.
Rating: 4
Summary: Billy Budd, Sailor
Comment: Billy Budd, Sailor is an extraordinary novel. I can see why it is called one of the best short stories of all time. The story is about a sailor, of course, named Billy Budd. He is on a boat during the Napoleonic Wars. He is accused of plotting mutiny by the ship's master-at-arms, John Claggert. Billy Budd eventually gets so mad at the injustice he is receiving that he kills Claggert. Consequently, he is sentenced to death by Captain Vere.
What I did not like about the story was that is was so hard to read. The story was written in 1924 so the language is different from today's vocabulary. The novel is full of words that normal people do not understand; however, there is a glossary in the back of the book to help the reader. If you look up all the words, the novel takes a very long time to read, but it is still very good. I would say the main downfall of this book is the burdensome vocabulary.
I really enjoyed the character Billy Budd. Even though he is falsely accused of mutiny, he always kept his head high. His one shortcoming ended up costing him his life. This character flaw was his quick temper. This was most evident when he killed John Claggert.
My favorite thing about the story would have to be the plot. If you look back at the plot, you would notice a resemblance to the story of Christ. When I noticed it was like the story of Christ, I was in awe. That is what made me like this story so much. Actually the novel is kind of scary. There is imagery created that relates the present day Billy Budd to the past story of Christ. The plot makes this story so powerful, so meaningful, and so suspenseful because you want to know if Melville will change the ending. The resemblance of this story to the one of Jesus brought up a question for me. Did Melville intentionally relate this to the Bible?
Furthermore, I also enjoyed the aspect of the storytelling that Melville left questions unanswered at the end of this story. Some remaining questions are: Why did Claggerts accuse Billy Budd? Was Billy Budd guilty or innocent of mutiny? I like that these questions were not answered because then the reader is left wondering. This increases the reader's imagination.
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Title: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne ISBN: 0553210092 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 April, 1965 List Price(USD): $3.95 |
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Title: The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane ISBN: 0812504798 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 15 November, 1990 List Price(USD): $3.99 |
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