Although many
liberties were lost by the children of indigenous peoples that were sent to boarding
schools, there was some merit to the whole experience. Probably one of the most important things
these children gained from their assimilation was literacy. Literacy, while not completely destroying the
native tongue, allowed for better communication and defense against white men
for future generations of native peoples.
Although the children had a choice to go with the white men, this choice
was heavily influenced by factors outside of their control. Some of these factors include culture, the
effects of such a choice on a child’s reputation within their community, and
the fact that the white men showed up at their doors to begin with. Keeping this in mind, what transpires in Billy Budd puts Captain Vere in an
equally sticky situation. The narrator
of the story makes it clear that Captain Vere does not want Billy to die, and
that he has complete control over the ship.
Still, he lets Billy Budd die.
Like the Native American children, Billy Budd is innocent; his maiming
of John Claggart was not a product of his choice. Clearly some invisible hand was in the room,
apart from Budd, Claggart, and Vere. Throughout
the book, Herman Melville gives us a sense of role play within his story; these
things had to happen. All that the officers on board the ship could
see was that Claggart was dead and his blood was drawn by Budd’s fist. Though Captain Vere could have and would have
saved Billy, he did not for the sake of the stability of the crew. It was clear that, while Billy had no animosity
towards any of the crew, the crew no longer wanted him around, and thus, Billy
had to die. In connection to the
seemingly unfortunate Native American children, perhaps the assimilation had to
happen for the greater good. The fact remains,
what is undeniably unjust and perhaps just plain cruel resulted in literacy, a
valuable commodity. Could the white men
have brought literacy and new cultural perspectives to the native peoples in an
entirely non-destructive manner?
Yes. But perhaps the gift of
literacy was provided not by white hands but rather an invisible one, and the
choices that humans use to block its path only change the route it takes in its
deliverance.
