Herman Melville

Herman Melville relies on symbols to tell a deeper and more complex story than the one explicitly presented in "Billy Budd, Sailor". By creating characters such as Billy Budd himself who represent purity and innocence, the author is constructing a tale that draws its power from the religious significance it invokes. As a result of these presentations of particular characters (such as Billy as a symbol for perfect innocence) Melville sets up his second symbol—the story of Christ and thus the tale also functions in the realm of religious symbolism. The third main symbol in the text is Billy's stammer which pokes holes in the theory that Billy Budd is a perfect Christ figure and reminds readers perhaps even the greatest innocence cannot be perfect.

Aside from the more vague symbols to be found in Herman Melville's short work, Billy Budd himself is a symbol. Billy Budd stands for childlike innocence in a world of war and evil men and as it will be discussed later, this makes him a perfect Christ figure by the end of the text. It is worth noting that even Billy's last name, Budd, symbolizes a bud in nature, something beautiful that has not yet opened itself to the world. It is also something that is protected and innocent, much like Billy Budd before he meets men such as Claggart. Billy's innocence is immediately recognizable as he leaves the "Rights of Man" to come on board the ship of Captain Vere. He is described by the narrator as being well-liked by his fellow men and possessed of what is termed in one of the important quotes from "Billy Budd Sailor" as "unpretentious good looks and a sort of genial happy-go-lucky air"