Benito Cereno is an 1855 short story by the American novelist, essayist and poet Herman Melville (1 August 1819 - 28 September 1891). His enigmatic writings often draw from his experiences at sea, where his character's unique personality and plot complexity make his works compelling and interesting. The novella is a parable of slavery written at the beginning of the Civil War in America, about the black community's desire for freedom. Benito Cereno describes Captain Amassa Delano's discovery of a rebel slave ship. He investigates, intent on assisting the crew, both African slaves and Spanish sailors, who have run out of food and water. He observes strange behavior, especially on the part of the ship's captain, Benito Cereno, but he doesn't understand what happened. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Slavery is the main theme of the novel. “On approaching still nearer, this aspect changed, and the true character of the ship became clear: a first-class Spanish merchantman; transporting negro slaves, along with other valuable goods, from one colonial port to another” (Melville, Benito Cereno 4). In the quote “As the master and the man stood before him, the black supporting the white, Captain Delano could not help but think back to the beauty of that relationship,” we see Delano's ignorance in all its force. For him, the strangely intertwined relationship between Benito Cereno, the captain of the "San Dominick", and his servant Babo is natural. Because he is so caught up in the false premise that slavery is natural and right, he doesn't realize that Babo is the leader of the slave rebellion aboard the ship and is controlling Cereno. Although Babo always accompanies Benito Cereno, preventing him and Captain Delano from having a moment of privacy or even when he asks (at Babo's insistence) how many weapons are on board the "Bachelor's Delight". Delano sees nothing wrong with slavery, and nothing noteworthy regarding the slaves, so much so that aboard the slave ship "San Dominick" he misses several clues that the slaves have rebelled and taken control. He witnesses slaves whipping a sailor; Cereno is never left alone by Babo; Delano offers to buy Babo, but Cereno refuses. Melville wrote the story as the abolitionist movement was gaining momentum in the United States. There is no clear position on slavery or abolition in the tale, leading readers to infer that he lobbied for both. Delano's eventual carrying out of the plot and his capture of Babo may suggest a pro-slavery viewpoint. As the novella closes, however, we learn that Cereno dies of a kind of sadness following Babo's trial and execution. “A few months later, dragged to the gallows by a mule's tail, the black man met his voiceless end. The body was reduced to ashes; but for many days, the head, that hive of subtlety, fixed on a pole in the Plaza, met the gaze of the whites imperturbably; and on the other side of the square it looked towards the church of San Bartolomeo”. In the novel it is possible to see represented the harsh situation of the slaves in that period due to the superiority of the white population. The theme of human slavery was something so normal that, as we can see in Captain Delano's attitude, the idea of ​​the slaves revolting, or causing any kind of trouble was unthinkable. The superiority mentality on the part of the slave traders was what caused that revolt, despite the clear evidence. They were so used to treating theslaves only as something to profit from who did not stop to think that, like them, they too are human beings endowed with feelings, intelligence and memory. “Ah, I thought so. Because it would be truly strange, and not very praiseworthy for us white skinned people, if a little of our blood, mixed with African blood, far from improving the quality of the latter, had the sad effect of pouring vitriolic acid into the veins. black broth; improving the tone, perhaps, but not the healthiness. Apart from the criticism of the situation of slaves established in America at the beginning of the Civil War in the 19th century, there are different interpretations of the real meaning of the novel. According to Schiffman's interpretation, although Melville did not play a conspicuous role in the antislavery movement, Benito Cereno shows how deeply he was "implicated in the fate of the Negroes." Since the story is interpreted as “suspense and horror” they are all interpreted through the vision of Captain Delano and it is always he who represents the blacks and makes judgments on their movements, “Melville himself does not take sides, even if the reader's sympathies are weighed in favor of the whites and against the cruelty and ferocity of the blacks.” Delano, exposing his blindness, is a mirror reflecting the prejudices of some New Englanders of a certain type; a dramatic device. Furthermore, it is “important to recognize that Melville was willing to develop” the theme of revolt, “which emphasizes what we now know to be true, namely that Negroes, far from being content and docile under slavery, engaged in frequent riots.” The author, instead of turning readers against blacks (especially in Babo) with thoughts of hatred or rejection, creates a complex story with conflicting feelings and emotions. In which we sympathize with Don Benito's plight and in which we appreciate the spirit and soul of Babo (the incarnate image of evil), admiring his role as a born leader, simply following his own rules; highlighting the resolve of the slaves aboard the "San Dominick". Delano's narrative was a skeleton of actual reality where the events described do not reveal the author's judgments about the events; the bare plot does not provide its interpretation. The illustration of the revolt in the story, at that time, could be seen as something positive and healthy because it indirectly brings new literary reflections at a time when the dominant trend was in favor of slavery. It shows an anti-slavery intention, trying to make readers open their eyes and look beyond what they are used to in their cultural concerns of the time, making them reflect and create their own opinion on the situation existing with slaves; without establishing either Babo as the hero or Cereno as the villain. Of note is Melvilles' narrative technique, which sought to expand a current and specific context into external abstractions, excluding judgment on the concrete. Through the actions of the characters, we can see how the balance tips to one side or the other, depending on the development of events during the novella. For example: "On their way the two captains were preceded by the mulatto, who, turning and advancing, with continuous smiles and bows, let them in" in this quote we see how, despite Captain Delano's feeling of superiority, in reality it seems absolutely disarmed by all those bows and smiles; he doesn't really know that he's just an idiot because people treat him like an important man. "Good boys, thought Captain Delano, a little training would make excellent sailors." Because Delano is so used to being a powerful man, he assumes that people without power have no practical knowledge; this being a wrong and very dangerous assumption. At the same time, you can see additional examples(1990): 33-47.