SOURCE: “The Narrative Voice in Billy Budd,” in Modern Language Quarterly, Vol. 34, No. 3, September, 1973, pp. 283–91.

In the following essay, Merrill analyzes narrative technique in Billy Budd.

The possible interpretations of Billy Budd have been argued and reargued for more than forty years.¹ New readings must justify themselves by helping to resolve the critical problem which has so divided the critics: how should we interpret the actions of Billy Budd and Captain Vere? I hope to do this by elaborating Lawrance Thompson's insight concerning the narrative technique of Billy Budd: “Melville used the narrative manner as a device for controlling and illuminating his intended interpretation of the action.”² This is probably the single feature of Billy Budd on which Thompson and I agree. The narrative manner does indeed “control” and “illuminate” our response to the novel's action.

I doubt that it invites us to view this action ironically, as...