Though Herman Melville’s White-Jacket is a polemical novel that directs its satirical voice against cruel practices and oppression on American Navy vessels, it nevertheless exhibits a “profound ambivalence” toward rebellion, ideals of democracy, and authority. The narrator, innocently white and young White-Jacket, confronts the reader with powerfully colorful descriptions of flogging scenes on board the United States frigateNeversink;he lists innumerable examples of the infringements on the civil liberties of the common sailor - the common man - and he tells how well the abused sailors would be justified “in the act of mutiny itself.” White-Jacket even openly acknowledges that a man-of-war’s-man, especially an American, “would be morally justified in resisting the scourge to the uttermost; and, in so resisting, would be religiously justified.”3When the captain orders the sailors to cut off their beards, the symbols of their identity and manhood, mutiny seems to be at hand. And yet there is no trace of resistance, not even the nimblest refusal to quietly tolerate the meanest cruelties on board. The beard incident resembles a comic episode rather than a description of a profound violation of personal rights. It is not an example of the sailors’ good reasons for rebellion, but rather of a childish recalcitrance that implies the ironical question: “Who in the whole world would start a mutiny for such a cause?”
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- The Revolutionary Spirit
- The Elitist Spirit
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This work explores the complex and contradictory themes of revolution, democracy, and authority in Herman Melville's novel White-Jacket. The text analyzes the narrator's seemingly conflicting perspectives on rebellion and the potential for mutiny within the context of a pre-revolutionary society. Through examining White-Jacket's experiences on board the frigate Neversink, the author delves into the inherent tensions between revolutionary ideals and the realities of power dynamics within a hierarchical system.
- The Revolutionary Spirit in White-Jacket
- The Impact of Famous Revolutions on Melville's Perspective
- The Elitist and Antidemocratic Thrust in the Novel
- White-Jacket's Complex View of Rebellion and Authority
- The Role of Social and Political Ideals in Shaping the Narrative
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter sets the stage for the analysis by introducing the central theme of the novel: the tension between revolutionary ideals and the reality of authority on board a U.S. frigate. The chapter highlights the narrator's ambivalent stance toward rebellion, ultimately posing the question of whether or not the sailors are justified in their potential resistance.
- The Revolutionary Spirit: This chapter explores Melville's understanding of revolution and its influence on his writing. It examines the historical context of the American and French Revolutions and their impact on the development of democratic ideals. The author discusses how Melville's revolutionary spirit is reflected in White-Jacket's passionate pronouncements about the dignity of man and the inalienable rights of individuals.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key themes and concepts explored in this work include revolution, democracy, authority, rebellion, American Revolution, French Revolution, satire, social commentary, political idealism, and the dynamics of power within a hierarchical system.
- Quote paper
- Silja Rübsamen (Author), 2002, The Revolutionary Spirit? Egalitarianism and Elitism in Melville's "White Jacket", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/55913
