Reading Herman Melville＇s Billy Budd as a revenge text, this paper examines the actions of the three protagonists against each other, including John Claggart＇s revenge against Billy Budd, the reason for which are ma...Reading Herman Melville＇s Billy Budd as a revenge text, this paper examines the actions of the three protagonists against each other, including John Claggart＇s revenge against Billy Budd, the reason for which are matters for speculation, and Billy＇s violence towards Claggart in front of Captain Vere, and Vere＇s insistence on enforcing the martial law to judge Billy. I argue that law is operating politically, however just it seems, and maintain that Billy＇s act of violence towards Claggart is in Benjamin＇s words ＂divine violence,＂ which is on the side of justice, as opposed to law. Comparing different interpretations of this posthumous novella regarding revenge and violence, this paper revisits what deconstruction has to say about divine violence, attempting to shed light on the relationship between justice and divine violence. 1 argue that there is something ＂devilish＂ in Melville＇s text, refusing to settle down on any single, close interpretation, and that ＂inner diabolism＂ （in D. H. Lawrence＇s words） is even critical of Billy＇s innocence.展开更多
文摘Reading Herman Melville＇s Billy Budd as a revenge text, this paper examines the actions of the three protagonists against each other, including John Claggart＇s revenge against Billy Budd, the reason for which are matters for speculation, and Billy＇s violence towards Claggart in front of Captain Vere, and Vere＇s insistence on enforcing the martial law to judge Billy. I argue that law is operating politically, however just it seems, and maintain that Billy＇s act of violence towards Claggart is in Benjamin＇s words ＂divine violence,＂ which is on the side of justice, as opposed to law. Comparing different interpretations of this posthumous novella regarding revenge and violence, this paper revisits what deconstruction has to say about divine violence, attempting to shed light on the relationship between justice and divine violence. 1 argue that there is something ＂devilish＂ in Melville＇s text, refusing to settle down on any single, close interpretation, and that ＂inner diabolism＂ （in D. H. Lawrence＇s words） is even critical of Billy＇s innocence.
