145 Men of Word and Action
Isabella McDonald
Melville makes use of irony to have things seem “normal” in the eyes of Captain Delano. Despite the doubts that Delano has at several points in the story, he views things as working the way they are “supposed to.” He views the enslaved peoples as inferior and without power. He sees the captain as powerful, despite his weak physicality. He remarks often, in the beginning, the helpful and outstanding behavior of Babo, separating him from the other slaves as an exception to the rule. “Marking the noisy indocility of the blacks in general, as well as what seemed the sullen inefficiency of the whites it was not without humane satisfaction that Captain Delano witnessed the steady good conduct of Babo.” He even goes as far as claiming that Babo is a friend to Benito and therefore “slave [Delano] cannot call him.”
“Somewhat annoyed by these conversational familiarities, Captain Delano turned curiously upon the attendant, then glanced inquiringly at his master; but, as if long wonted to these little informalities, neither master nor man seemed to understand him.” Cereno has been made forcefully familiar with this show of power from Babo and so isn’t reacting like this is out of character behavior. It is through little moments like this and Babo’s refusal to speak after being captured, that Babo rebels against his slavery and the white slavers. “[Babo] held up the trickling razor, saying, with a sort of half humorous sorrow, “See, master–you shook so–here’s Babo’s first blood.” This probably isn’t the first time he drew blood given the takeover of the ship and this is ironic in the way that the audience is fully suspicious from the beginning about Babo. His humor in this situation is also suspicious.
Melville depicts slave rebels as renegades, suggesting that if one manages to plan and follow through with a plan of escape, then they are far more intelligent and well-spoken than other enslaved peoples. They are considered brutal and work in sneaky, violent ways to seek their freedom to the point of enslaving white people when they get the chance. However, Douglass writes about intelligence, loyalty, and a sort of forgiveness. Madison isn’t a cruel punisher, but a tolerant revolter. Instead of slowly feeding the audience hints of uncanny and then suddenly and clearly placing Babo as the aggressor of the story in his search for freedom, Douglass from the start talks about freedom from slavery. He doesn’t paint any of those escaping as aggressive or violent, but instead mostly nonviolent. At one point, during the last escape to freedom, only two white men die in their revolt. Madison makes a point of saying he isn’t a murderer and in fact kept the others from killing Tom Grant. I held them in check. And if you now (seeing I am your friend and not your enemy) persist in your resistance to my authority, I give you fair warning YOU SHALL DIE” (49). Madison is very direct compared to Babo although both take control of