The Character of Captain Delano in Benito CerenoCaptain Amasa Delano is an interesting embodiment of white complacency regarding slavery and its perpetuation. Delano is a human metaphor for the white sentiment of the time. His deepest sensitivity to order and hierarchy prevents him from seeing the realities of slavery. Delano's blindness to the mutiny is a metaphor for his blindness to the moral depravity of slavery. Examining Captain Delano's views on nature, beauty, and humanity allows us to see his often confusing hierarchical order system that cripples his ability to see mutiny and the injustice of slavery. After Delano believes that Benito Cereno cut his faithful slave and blames him for shaving him badly, Delano exclaims: "slavery breeds ugly passions in man." (p. 77) This is a stunning assertion on Delano's part, because Delano's deepest sensibilities support slavery. We must understand that Delano meant this remark as an offhand comment on Benito Cereno's misunderstanding of hierarchy and how to treat those below him. Hierarchy is important to Delano. As the captain of a seagoing vessel, order and hierarchy are not only important, they are key to one's survival and supposedly the survival of the ship itself. If order and hierarchy break down, mutiny could ensue. The captain of a ship, more than anyone else, must have a sense of the value of hierarchy. It is important to understand that while Captain Delano has a rigid sense of hierarchy, he tempers it with an understanding of human nature: "In armies, navies, cities or families, in nature itself, nothing relaxes good order more than poverty. "(p. 42) So, in this sense, Delano's remark that "bree slavery...... middle of paper ......lava] trades", they "transport it to its falls." Again and again we see Captain Delano rejoicing in what seems to be the natural order of things. He proclaims the beauty of the relationships of order and bondage, he views them in relation to nature, and celebrates the nature which he believes fits into his hierarchy He ignores the basic humanity of slaves, categorizing them with animals and commercial equipment – ​​he only treats them with as much humanity as he would treat an animal. Captain Delano's zeal could be described as a passion for order and hierarchy. In this light, we can understand his statement that "slavery breeds wicked passions in man" as an unconscious description of his nature. own condition. An ugly passion to perpetuate the moral depravity of slavery. Works Cited: Melville, Herman. Bartleby and Benito Cereno. New York: Dover, 1990.