Importance of Setting in Benito CerenoMany authors of works of fiction have a good reason for setting their story in a specific place and time. In many cases, the setting is overtly significant, giving the reader added meaning and a greater understanding of the story in the context of its setting. I certainly found this to be true in Herman Melville's Benito Cereno, which sets his story in South America. The only representative of America is Captain Delano, a naive man who sees the world as kind and benevolent and where things cannot go too far beyond what they seem on the surface. Here the curious reader would ask, "If the story is written by an American author, who is writing about a controversial American issue of his time, wouldn't it seem more logical to place the story on American soil?" Possible explanations for why Melville chose South America as the scene of the revolt rather than, for example, somewhere off the coast of the United States, will be explored in this article. For one thing, South America is a far and remote place. from the hotbed of political issues regarding slaves in the United States. By keeping in mind that Melville was writing a short story and selling it to an audience that was both pro- and anti-slavery, by placing the ship in South America, he managed to avoid taking a strong political stance. His choice of setting limits the numerous outcomes of the San Domenico revolt. In other words, if he had placed the ship on an island off the coast of the United States, the process would have been affected by the laws of that state. In this way, history is less influenced by the laws that govern states. The trial takes place in Lima, Peru. Since Babo is silent, the depositions of... middle of the paper... are a topic which, in my opinion, has many fundamental aspects to consider. The isolation of South America gave American readers of the time a sense of comfort that the uprising was taking place in a setting far removed from where they were. Furthermore, they were able to consider the terms under which the case was tried in a less biased way than they would have done if the story had occurred on U.S. soil. Melville set up his story to allow his readers to create their own story. decisions about who is truly the “bad guy.” In a world where slaves can become captains, one thing is clear: color is only skin deep, and humans should start accepting and respecting each other. Works Cited Chavez, T. E. "Spain's Support Is Vital to U.S. Independence." Hispanic America USA. (September 17, 1997)