Character Analysis: Benito Cereno

Words: 143
Pages: 1

Injustice. That is the word that silently bleeds all throughout the history books. It’s the backbone for a rise above a struggle that aims to keep a certain people as inferiors, and for some it’s the spark that inspires authors to illustrate stories to be passed down, generation to generation, to keep the unfortunate history alive. In his novella Benito Cereno, Herman Melville uses his literary talent to question the social injustices of the 18th and 19th centuries through the portrayal of his characters. Melville illustrates the injustices of slavery and oppression, and how the oppressed eventually become the oppressors through fighting unjust law. The novella portrays its characters as members of the oppressed class who are tired of their