Rereading Benito Cereno - Who's the Real Hero?

The hero in Herman Melville's Benito Cereno is unclear and up for interpretation, as everyone's definition of what constitutes a hero differs. While some argue that the hero is a character which shows exemplary stride or courage under dire circumstances, others equally will say it's the person who fights for the greater good and remains true to their cause. The character Bentio Cereno exhibits a level of intelligence not yet appraised by critics, a sense of acuity which helped him live for as long as he did (until the very end of the story), while also keeping in mind the welfare of himself, Delano, and their combined crew. Cereno keeping a semi-level head while being under constant watch from the keen eye of Babo fulfils the requirements to be a hero more so than any other character in Melville's story.

Captain Amasa Delano of the ship "Bachelor's Delight" spotted Cereno's ship early in the morning, emitting an eerie aura due to the ship's torn sails and that the ship was "drawing too close to land; a sunken reef making out off her bow." (Melville, 35) After sending a small boat out to investigate, Delano encounters the captain of the ship Benito Cereno, along with his ever-faithful servant Babo and begins to encounter strange occurrences on the ship. After a while, Delano inquires if to Cereno has intentions of killing him, however this notion diminishes when Cerano desperately leaps to Delano's ship when the two docked together and Babo attempts to murder him. Only after this does the truth come out, that Babo led a slave revolt and was keeping his eyes on Cereno the entire time, with hopes of killing Delano and capturing his ship and its supplies.

Cereno's leap at the end (to most people) is seen as a cowardly attempt to preserve his life, a jump made of desperation, when really it signifies his selflessness. Babo's plan, which was explained before Delano's arrival, was to earn the trust of Delano and his ship, only to board and capture it as the "San Dominick" (Cereno's ship) was running low on supplies. Cereno saw this and made every attempt not only to secretly tell Delano of this plan and how dire the situation was (cleverly too, as Cereno would fall ill or dizzy whenever Delano was coming close to figuring out what was happening near Babo), but to save the lives which would be lost from Delano's crew if Babo's plot was properly executed. Cereno knew they both would be killed if Delano found out the situation, so he intentionally kept him wondering until Cereno knew it was a somewhat safer time to act, an act that displays a certain intelligence and courage which most other characters do not display. Even his leap was a major risk, as Babo jumped right behind him and attempted to stab Cereno. Knowing Babo would pursue, Cereno jumped anyway to save Delano.

Cereno's hero status is reinforced by one key symbol. Cereno is the captain of the ship "San Dominick," which clearly is a reference to Saint Dominic of the Dominican Order, an important figure in Catholicism. St. Dominic devoted his life to combating religious heresy within Catholicism and spread religious truth, which would later elevate him as a saint of truth. For the duration of the story Cereno listens to Babo's silent commands, all the while trying to spread the truth of the situation to Delano without getting the both of them killed, much like the saint his ship is named for.

Critics are common for dismissing Cereno and jumping at making Babo the hero of the story, much like essayist C. L. R. James in his work The Yankee Captain. He states that:

"Babo is the most heroic character in Melville's fiction. He is a man

of unbending will, a natural leader, an organizer of large schemes but

a master of detail, ruthless against his enemies but without personal

weakness." (James, 296)

Babo certainly is a natural leader as he easily commanded the rest of the slaves on the ship to follow his plan. His actions are also just as slavery is an institute which should be fought, but no character in this story goes without weakness. Babo's weakness is seen in his proneness to violence, as the ordered death of Alexandro Aranda wasn't necessary since he had already successfully captured the rest of the ship. Aranda could have even been used for credibility purposes, perhaps to further convince Delano that everything was fine on the "San Dominick;" however Babo decided to kill him. Babo's violent nature is also seen in his attempted stabbing of Cereno. When Cereno jumped to Delano's ship, Babo saw it as necessary to jump along with him and try to silence him through violence. Babo could have instead ordered the crew which he already had control of to navigate away from the "Bachelor's Delight," and seek supplies elsewhere followed by a suitable hiding place, yet still he decided to use violence.

The hero in Benito Cereno can only be decided on by the reader, but a stronger case needs to be argued for Cereno himself. His intentions throughout the story can be seen as selfless actions and attempts to save the lives of Delano and his crew, culminating to the final leap from ship to ship and foiling Babo's plan. Perhaps if Delano realized the truth sooner Cereno would be hailed as greater than he is now. Whether that is true or not, Cereno should not be dismissed so quickly as a weak-intentioned character.

Sources:

McCall, Dan. Melville's Short Stories. 1st. New York: Norton & Company, 2002.

Pallen, Conde B., and Thomas J. Shahan. The Catholic Encyclopedia. 1st. New York: The Encyclopedia Press, 1907.