Billy Budd, Sailor

Title: Billy Budd, Sailor

Author:  Herman Melville

Copyright: Written after 1886 and before Melville’s death in 1891. It was later found, in manuscript form, and eventually published in 1924.

SPOILER ALERT: It is difficult to discuss the main themes without talking about the ending of the book. If you do not want to have the book spoiled for you, I would suggest reading the book before reading this blog.

Summary:  The story takes place in the last years of the 18^th century. It is about a young sailor named Billy Budd, who is around 18 years old. When the story begins, Billy is working on the merchant ship “Rights-of-Man”. The merchant ship is inspected by an officer on a British naval warship and Billy is impressed (involuntarily recruited) into working on that ship, the H.M.S. Bellipotent. Billy is the only one from his ship that is impressed. On the new ship, he quickly witnesses a flogging take place, as a punishment, and realizes how much trouble he can get in even with minor misconduct of any kind. But Billy eventually makes friends with just about everyone on board and is even evaluated for promotion by the officers not long after boarding the ship. The climax occurs when the Master-at-Arms (Claggart), possibly the only one on the ship that does not like Billy, falsely accuses Billy of being a mutineer. When the captain, who does not believe the Master-at-Arms, has him make the accusations to Billy’s face, Billy is unable to answer. He has a small stuttering problem and he is virtually speechless when he is either very afraid or very angry. After a long period of attempted refute, Billy let’s his fist do the talking for him. He punches the Master-at-Arms in the face. He falls to the ground and dies. The captain, who witnessed the whole thing, called a drumhead court martial to try Billy. Since they had no proof of mutiny (and none of them believed the charge anyway), the only charge was that he punched a superior officer that resulted in his death, which of course, was not Billy’s intentions. Of the three officers and the captain, all of them wanted to acquit Billy of the charge. But since the threat of mutiny was already a great fear, they chose to condemn him to death hoping it would deter any actual future mutineers. In the end, Billy was hung on the ship. There is very little dialogue in the book and most of the chapters fill the requirement of giving the back story. But it is a good book and it definitely gets you thinking. Here are a few of my observations.

Observation #1:

Law vs. Conscience

In the book, the court martial consisted of 5 individuals. Billy was the accused, Captain Vere was the witness and three high-ranking officers were the jury. Captain Vere and all of the officers liked Billy. They all disliked the Claggart. They knew that the accusations of mutiny were false. They knew Billy was an honest and hard worker and not one of them wanted to see him hang. In fact, the three officers were ready to deliver a unanimous acquittal until Captain Vere gave them a lecture on the rule of law. He told them to make the decision based on the law only. This is why they eventually condemned him, after a significant struggle, to hang. They couldn’t see a way around the law. Just as laws must be kept, the commandments must also be kept. “And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins.” (Alma 11:37). According to the law (for they were at a time of war and operating under the Articles of War), Billy did commit a crime by striking a superior officer. This was irrefutable since it was done in the presence of Captain Vere. So the story of Billy Budd ends with his hanging, because the court could not see a way around the law.

Observation #2:

Law vs. Mercy

What they lacked was mercy, or a way to implement mercy. To them, they did not see any reconciliation between law and mercy, so they followed what they believed to be the law. Spiritually, however, there is room for both law and mercy. “Therefore, according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance of men in this probationary state, yea, this preparatory state; for except it were for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it should destroy the work of justice. Now the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God. And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also. For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.” (Alma 42:13, 15, 24). Because of the law of God, not one of us is fit to return to the kingdom of God of our own accord. But Jesus Christ stepped forward and offered to pay the price of our sins, thus allowing justice and mercy to work together, allowing those who are willing to repent, the ability to be reconciled to God.

Observation #3:

Dying with a Clear or Guilty Conscience

Despite the tragic ending to Billy Budd, it was comforting knowing that he had peace in his death. It reminded me of the words the Prophet Joseph Smith spoke as he was leaving for Carthage; “I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer’s morning; I have a conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men”. His perspective was eternal. He knew that there were worse things that could happen than physical death. He was a righteous man and a diligent prophet and he knew he had lived his life in harmony with God. He had peace knowing he had passed this earthly test and would have eternal life. Billy Budd, although far from a prophet, was also a very good person. Despite the scene that got him in so much trouble, he didn’t really have a mean bone in his body. After it was over he felt very sorry and he was accepting of his death sentence. We can also compare and contrast two groups of people in the Book of Mormon. In chapter 28 of Alma, we are shown two different types of mourning that was taking place amongst the Nephites and the Lamanites after a series of great battles that resulted in thousands and thousands of deaths. “…yea many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred, because they have reason to fear, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are consigned to a state of endless wo. While many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never-ending happiness.” (Alma 28:11-12). Although most of us fear death to some degree, that fear can be swallowed up in Christ. If we are righteous, we have nothing to fear.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Title: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Copyright: 1886

Summary: The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one that most people have heard of. Written in 1886, it has inspired many other stories and movies, and it has been directly referred to in many others. In fact, it has even graced the television in cartons. I personally remember episodes of Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry, in which Bugs and Jerry turned into a sort of Mr. Hyde. The book, however, was quite a bit darker than what has been shown on most television shows, especially cartoons. The story is about a revered doctor, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and his belief that a human soul was dual in nature, having a good part and an evil part, and his belief that these two halves could be separated. Dr. Jekyll invented/discovered a potion that would accomplish such a split and he tested the potion on himself. Unfortunately for Dr. Jekyll, he soon found out that he didn’t understand the human soul as much as he thought he did. Since I’ve seen and heard shows and stories inspired by this story, it was great to finally read the source. Stevenson does a wonderful job of describing the dark side of London. And even though I was so familiar with the story, Stevenson still had me in suspense up until the last chapter of the book. Once again, I highly recommend this book. Here are a few observations I made as I read.


Observation #1:
Dual Human Nature (Good vs. Evil)
The first observation is a fairly obvious one. With regards to his beliefs, I think Dr. Jekyll made two big mistakes: First, he thought the human soul was made up of good and evil when in fact, God, who created our spirits, does not create anything that is evil. When we are born, our souls are clean and without stain. Second, he thought he could cure this perceived problem by making a potion. And for that matter, he assumed he had the authority to do so. Some would refer to this as “playing God”. It is true that humans are capable of evil actions, but Dr. Jekyll did not understand that the evil was an outward influence upon man, and not one that came from his soul. According to the Plan of Salvation, we are suffered to be tempted by the adversary and his legions. This is an outward influence. Because of our weaknesses, we often struggle with the ability to resist such temptations, and sometimes succumb to them. We are given the right of agency in this life.


We are free to choose good or evil and we are also given the ability to know good from evil; “And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free. He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you” (Helaman 14:30-31).

Notice that the nature of the good vs. the evil is not in the “being”, but it is in the “doing”. We are good by nature, but in a fallen world we are permitted to do evil and are in fact tempted, by Satan, to do evil. But we are free to choose our actions, good or evil, and will receive the consequences of those actions.


Lastly, we come to the unfortunate fact that all humans will sin. We will all choose evil from time to time. The wonderful mercy of the Plan of Salvation is that we can clean those self-inflicted stains upon our souls through repentance. In God’s mercy, he allowed for a Savior, Jesus Christ, to Atone for our sins. Through our repentance, He will wipe away those sins and make sour souls clean again. The moral of this story: Obedience and repentance make a much better potion!


Observation #2:
Give Evil an Inch and it will Take a Mile
After the potion-induced transformations increased in frequency, Dr. Jekyll found that Hyde was less controllable. It eventually came to the point he would turn into Hyde without taking the potion. And in the end, it culminated with Dr. Jekyll all but disappearing, and Hyde was all that was left. In the Priesthood Session of this most recent General Conference (10/2/2010), President Monson spoke about choices. He said it is easier to keep the commandments 100% of the time than it is to keep them 98% of the time. This is because disobeying the commandments has a perpetual effect. If we keep the commandments 98% of the time, we will be more inclined to lesson our standards and keep the commandments 96% of the time, then 90%, and so on. Thus is the beginning of spiritual decline. We must not, as Dr. Jekyll, allow just a little bit of bad into our lives. It can quickly snowball and cause reduced spirituality, years, months, or even weeks. It can eventually cause complete inactivity or resentment. But if our goal is always 100%, we are much less likely to give in to temptations. In fact, the point of his General Conference address is to make that decision now to keep the commandments 100%. We will fall short from time to time, but it should always be our goal.


Observation #3:
Limitations on Scientific Experiments
I won’t spend too much time on this one. It is more of a societal issue than it is a personal one, but we as individuals can affect society. There are many scientific experiments that are safe and can be conducted without physical or emotional harm to anyone. However, there are also some experiments that do or may cause harm and/or could be considered morally questionable in nature. Some of these controversial topics are: Cloning, Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Abortion, Genetically Enhanced Crops and Animals, just to name a few. There are many, many more. Some even believe Birth Control is evil. Where is the limit on what types of science we pursue and what types of experiments we conduct? Is there a limit? Should there be a limit? I’m not an expert but my opinion is that we definitely should have a limit. I know this seems like a simple answer, but we merely need to make sure our lives are aligned with the will of God. Anything that doesn’t further the Kingdom of God on the earth should be ceased. We have it within ourselves to know good from evil, and when we need answers that may be tougher to come by, we can always pray and be told through the whisperings of the Holy Ghost.


Observation #4
Evil in the Day or Night
Again, I will make this short and hopefully just give you something to ponder. Notice that, in general, Mr. Hyde came out at night. Most of the scenes involving Mr. Hyde were at night, in the darkness. Elder Holland used a phrase in his April, 2010 Conference Address. It was “pathologically clandestine”. I had to look it up. This behavior is secretive or hidden and it has a way of happening at night more often than in the day time. I have no idea who coined it, but there is a saying that “the Holy Ghost goes to bed at midnight”. This isn’t literally true, but we are much more susceptible to temptations at night. And, if we are dumb enough to put ourselves into these situations, at night and willingly, the Holy Ghost may not be readily available for us. But this isn’t because he left out of choice… it’s because we pushed him away.

Alas, Babylon

Title: Alas, Babylon
Author: Pat Frank
Copyright: 1959

Summary: Alas, Babylon is a story of a Soviet nuclear missile attack on the United States. The book never gives any dates for the story, but based on descriptions of lifestyle and events, it seems to describe the Cold War era. As I read the book I imagined it was in the 1950’s or 60’s. The book doesn’t focus on the global war and only gives very little detail about how the nation rebuilds itself after such an incident. Rather, it focuses on the small community of Fort Repose, FL, and more specifically, the home of Randy Bragg and the friends, family members and neighbors that he helps get through the crisis. The book is helpful because it goes through the day-to-day issues and potential crisis that we personally could expect to have to deal with in an emergency. What to do about water, food, electricity, etc… This is an easy and enjoyable read (if you don’t get too freaked out when you read about the possibility of nuclear war)! Here are the 3 things that stood out the most to me in this book.

Observation #1:
Spiritual and Physical Preparedness:
This book is very thought provoking and it really gets you thinking about emergency preparedness. There are a lot of simple things in our day-to-day life that we take for granted because they are so easy to come by. But as this book shows, things can happen that could drastically change our lives for hours, days or even months. We are told to expect (in just about any disaster situation) that we will be on our own for at least 72 hours. Some instances may be even longer. What would we do in a circumstance that makes it impossible for us to get fresh water for a month? What would we do for food? What would we do if we needed minor medical attention or medicine? We have been counseled as long as I can remember to build up a year supply of food storage, water, 72 hour kits and supplies, to have an emergency plan, and to learn first aid and have medical supply stores. We’ve also been encouraged to get out of debt, build up savings and get as much education as we can (and that includes the classics!). It is a difficult task, but not impossible. By following the counsel of the prophets we will be in a much better position if or when disaster strikes.

The book also shows us the darker side of the human mind in the struggle with the Highwaymen. There are men (and women) who see opportunity in crisis and they prey on others in this disastrous scenario. They appear to abide by the law now only out of the fear of getting caught. What happens when they no longer fear getting caught? How would we protect ourselves from others? In the book, Randy and his neighbors band together and this is one way they are able to overcome this potential problem. There is safety in numbers. How awesome is it to be a part of a ward family! This book definitely reminds me of the necessity for physical preparedness, which is everything I mentioned and may also include obtaining some additional knowledge and learning a few skills that may be helpful.

Spiritual preparation cannot be overemphasized here. There is also safety in keeping the commandments. We aren’t guaranteed a long and smooth life with no pain and tears if we follow the commandments. God’s will stands supreme and sometimes it isn’t how we want things to be. But in most cases, our lives are blessed and our circumstances will be improved as a result of our obedience to the commandments. Being worthy and continually coming unto Christ will also keep us safe. It will help us get through the trials we are called to bear. It will aid us by inspiration and revelation to know what to do in certain situations. We can also get this spiritual preparedness by daily filling up our lamps of oil (Matthew 25:1-14) by saying our prayers, reading the scriptures, fasting, serving, attending our meetings and the temple.

Being physically and spiritually prepared will give us peace now, even if we are not in the face of some disaster. We will have that peace that can only be had by following the prophet’s counsel.

Observation #2:
Growth through Trials and Struggle:
In the book, as in most books, the protagonist (Randy Bragg) becomes a better person through his struggles. He becomes smarter, more compassionate, more engaged in life. This trial awakened something inside him. Not just a desire to survive, but a desire to help everybody else survive. I think it is interesting to note that one of the Christmas’ that I remember the most when I was a kid was when we were far away from home and didn’t have much of anything. I got one small present from my sister and she also saw to it that we had stockings. I have had much more lucrative Christmas’ in my life before that year and since. Why does this one stand out as being one that I can’t forget? Why do I think back on this Christmas with such fond memories? I don’t have an answer for that question except to say that I think these are the moments we learn the most. When we are humble and lowly, we learn the most. In fact, we only grow when we have trials and struggles. We should do our best to see them for what they are and I think that will help us get through them. And of course, with Christ, anything is possible. “And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions” (Mosiah 24:14).

Observation #3:
Different Reactions to Desperate Circumstances:
The book gives some very polar examples of how people react in desperate circumstances. Some have the will to survive and to help others survive, such as Randy and his friends and neighbors. Some have the will to survive at the expense of others, such as the Highwaymen. Then, there is another example in the book. It is of fear, hopelessness and of giving up. The banker in the town, on the very day of the first round of nuclear blasts, finds out how dire the situation is. His thinking is purely financial. He realizes that the dollar, at least for a while, is worth virtually nothing. Money is his business. Money is his life. Within the first 16 hours or so of the attack, this banker, before the real hardships even begin, commits suicide. This banker, Edgar Quisenberry, put his trust in money. When that was gone he didn’t think he had anything else to live for. But there is always hope. “… How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope? And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the Atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to this promise”. (Moroni 7:40-41).

Introduction

We hear about classic literature all the time. Sometimes even on a daily basis. There are hundreds of age old stories and classic lines or phrases, some of which we are familiar with and some of which we know very little about. Most of us have even read a few or maybe even many of them ourselves.

I have recently recognized the value in reading classic literature and have set a goal to read as many classic books as I can in my lifetime. I think the classics offer us an interesting educational opportunity that we can continue pursuing well beyond our formal education years. Why are the classics so beneficial to read? What makes a classic a classic? For some reason, they sure have a way of standing the test of time. Many of the classics were written over 100 and 200 years ago and yet, they are still considered classics after all this time, and will probably remain so for a long time to come.

Here is my opinion of why the classics are so beneficial. First of all, I don’t know what the magic formula is for creating a classic (I would be rich if I did). But I can liken it to this analogy of a thermometer. We can’t see the heat, but we can see the reaction that the mercury in the thermometer has to the heat. That’s how we know how hot it is. Similarly, classic books/authors have a way of causing a reaction to their readership. I can’t tell you what it is about the book that makes it a classic, but look at how it has affected readers for the past few decades or centuries. What did they learn from it? How did their lives change because of it?

I do have to give the authors credit and say that they likely took a lot of pain staking effort and time to design and write their books. Skill was definitely a factor. But it takes more than that. It takes more than seeing a main character learn a valuable lesson. Anybody can write a book like that. My opinion, after reading approximately 40 classic books and stories thus far, is that the lessons and themes I have observed seem to parallel the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every time I read one of these classics, I can pick out at least 2 or 3 situations or themes that fit perfectly with a scripture or even a General Authority quote. I think that is another reason why the classics are so attractive… because the Light of Christ is so attractive. People are attracted to knowledge and truth. And if there is goodness and value in a book because of the way it teaches us, makes us think and causes us to want to change, for the better, and come closer to Christ, then I say that is a good book, and a classic.

This blog is my attempt to document each classic I read, along with these valuable teachings and gospel connections that I happen to notice while reading the books. So essentially, this blog is for me and my posterity if they desire to read it. But if it is useful to anybody else, I welcome your participation in reading and commenting on the posts. I will not post full summaries. You can find any of those on the internet elsewhere and I wouldn’t want to spoil a story for somebody that may still want to read it. I will just pick certain portions of the books to comment on, the ones that affected me the most, and if anything, hopefully somebody will be inspired to pick up a book that they had not intended to read. I will try to post once or twice a week so, if you are interested, I would suggest you subscribe to the blog so that you get an email when I make a post. And when you read the post, I welcome your comments and would be glad to see what I may have missed that you may be sensitive to since all of our circumstances (and perspectives) are different.

Thank you in advance for your participation!