Essay Archive - Critical Essay on Billy Budd
Critical Essay on Billy Budd
Charles Reich's assessment of the conflict in Billy Budd focuses on
the distinction between the laws of society and the laws of nature. Human
law says that men are "the sum total of their actions, and no more." Reich
uses this as a basis for his assertion that Billy is innocent in what he is,
not what he does. The point of the novel is therefore not to analyze the
good and evil in Billy or Claggart, but to put the reader in the position
of Captain Vere, who must interpret the laws of both man and nature.
Reich supports Vere's decision to hang Billy. In defense of this he
alludes to a famous Eng....
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