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Comparing Herman Melville's Bartleby And Benito Cereno

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In Herman Melville’s Bartleby And Benito Cereno, the San Dominick is now under the rule of Babo, a slave mastermind. Babo guides the other slaves to revolt against the slave master Armanda and the spaniards. Negro Babo cautioned Don Benito Cereno ‘he and his companions could not otherwise be sure of their liberty’ (Melville, 1855, p.65). The negro’s only purpose for being defiant was to regain freedom. Thom Brooks declared that ‘punishment is only justified when it is deserved, not when it satisfies private anger or bloodlust’ (2012, p.16). The negro slaves were victims subjected to a life of slavery, the immoral acts committed was not that of seeking vengeance, but rather to ensure safety and freedom.

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