Billy Budd, Chapter 14 summary
Chapter 14 of 49 · 2 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 14, Billy Budd resists the Dansker’s claim that the master-at-arms causes his troubles because the man speaks pleasantly to him. The narrator explains Billy’s trust through his limited experience, enduring innocence, and a sailor’s habit of obedience, contrasting these traits with the guarded distrust of worldly people.
What happens
- The narrator suggests that long experience teaches the Dansker to avoid interference and advice.
- Billy rejects suspicion of the master-at-arms despite the Dansker’s insistence, trusting the man’s friendly words.
- The narrator distinguishes Billy’s lasting simple-mindedness from ordinary childhood ignorance and stresses his lack of knowledge of evil.
- The narrator contrasts sailors’ directness with the indirect calculations of people ashore.
- Obedience limits sailors’ practice in judging others, while worldly people develop an almost unconscious distrust of appearances.
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Why does Billy resist blaming the master-at-arms?
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