Herman Melville died in 1891 before finishing his last novel. Melville's niece had the unfinished work published in 1924 more than thirty years after he had last worked on it. His work titled Billy Budd, Sailor was widely recognized as a great success and a compelling story. Critical interpretations may vary, but a common view on the inspiration behind Billy Budd is an unexpected allegorical meaning drawn from the story of the creation and fall of man. After the publication of Melville's most famous work, Moby Dick, Melville turned to the darker side of story writing that expressed a deeper meaning than what lies on the surface, often questioning the nature of good and evil . Intentional or not, Melville's story is quite reflective of the story of man's fall from grace. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Although the Book of Genesis and Billy Budd are two stories that are not normally considered similar, Melville was known to draw inspiration from such books and stories and incorporate them into his novels. Such interpretations can give new meaning to this timeless story. “The common ground in most discussions of Billy Budd is the assumption that the story is allegorical: a narrative representation of some truth or universal law or balance of opposites, a parable of Good and Evil.” There is a lot of evidence to suggest that Billy is the prelapsarian of his story, or Adam. Both young men are kind-hearted, innocent and unfortunately caught up in a scheme that jeopardizes their livelihood. Both Adam and Billy never had bad intentions, but they blindly fell into a plot for their deaths. “In chapter 2, full of references to Billy as a prelapsarian, Melville makes it clear that elements of Billy Budd echo the biblical story of the Fall.” Likewise, as in the book of Genesis, the story begins by presenting the main character as an innocent and naive young man tempted by someone who means only evil and bad luck to him. Billy is just a little boy inexperienced with the realities of the world, just like the biblical Adam. The story begins when Billy is taken away from his simple and happy life on the cargo ship "The Rights of Man". He is described as a handsome sailor with "masculine beauty" and almost perfect except for an occasional stutter which will help push him into the trap set for him by the antagonist. The innocent boy is forced into military service on the Navy ship Bellipotent and thrown into the middle of the Napoleonic War. He is a good sailor, but rather inexperienced in such a severe and unfamiliar environment. Although his innocence causes him difficulty with regulation, it seems to make him more likeable to his fellow crew members and especially to the captain who has a special sympathy for him. This warship is a small confined space where conflict is difficult to avoid when Claggart, driven by his deep jealousy of Billy, decides he doesn't like him and becomes determined to destroy his innocence. This concept coincides with the temptations of the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Besides Billy Budd, the other characters in the story are also quite allegorical. The story of the fall would be incomplete without the Almighty and the mighty tempting serpent. "It is shortly after this reference to Eden that Melville introduces the other main characters into the narrative, both of whom are reminiscent of their Genesis counterparts." Captain Vere and Claggart both represent something allegorical. Captain Vere presides.