Billy Budd, Chapter 24 summary
Chapter 24 of 49 · 2 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 24, the narrator explains why the account needs a sequel, then describes the Indomitable’s capture of the Athéiste and Captain Vere’s fatal wound. Vere dies ashore at Gibraltar after murmuring Billy Budd’s name, although the narrator treats the attendant’s report as evidence against remorse.
What happens
- The narrator argues that factual accounts resist neat endings and introduces a three-chapter sequel.
- The French ship St. Louis receives the name Athéiste, which the narrator considers especially fitting for a warship.
- During battle, a musket ball strikes Captain Vere as he brings the Indomitable alongside the enemy.
- The senior lieutenant takes command, captures the Athéiste, and brings the damaged prize safely into Gibraltar.
- Vere dies after several days ashore, having murmured Billy Budd’s name under a drug’s influence.
- The narrator cites the attendant’s report to suggest that Vere’s words do not express remorse.
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Who takes command after Captain Vere is wounded?
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