Melville’s story “Billy Budde” culminates in the death of the main character – an innocent, inexperienced sailor, who through no fault of his, was hanged. While the captain’s Vere decision about the fate of the young sailor can be justified – he did it to avert a mutiny on his ship – a sense of general injustice of the world long remains with the reader. To soften this feeling and provide a deeper understanding of the story, an account of Billy’s death was introduced. This account throws new light on Billy’s death and lets the reader grasp the story’s deeper meaning.
First of all, when Billy was hanged, a ray of light penetrated the haze of clouds. It may show that Billy was taken straight to haven, as a person who never did any harm in his life. Moreover, at the moment of death, Billy, together with the other crew members, shouted: “God bless Captain Vere!” (Henessy, p. 202). This fact testifies that the captain was right in his decision so that even the condemned man praised his wisdom.
The second peculiarity of Billy’s death is even more interesting since it may be instrumental for the interpretation of the story. Melville writes that there was no spasmodic movement that should have been there at the moment of Billy’s death (Henessy). He gives the following hypothesis to account for this: “At the first touch of the halyards the action of Budd’s heart, intensified by extraordinary emotion at its climax, abruptly stopt – much like a watch when in carelessly winding it up you strain at the finish, thus snapping the chain” (Henessy, 204). This passage shows that Billy died not of hanging but a fraction before that. Thus, it may be inferred that Billy died of his own accord. Such an ending is organic to the story since Billy, representing Mother Nature, cannot survive in the conditions of a regulated and destitute routine imposed by civilization.
Reference
Hennessy D. (Ed.) Classics of American Literature (vol. 1).