Herman Melville died in 1891 before completing his last novel. Melville's granddaughter had the unfinished work published in 1924, more than thirty years after he last worked on it. His work titled Billy Budd, Sailor was widely recognized as a great success and a gripping story. Critical interpretations may vary, but a common view of 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 a darker side of story writing that expressed deeper meaning than what lies on the surface, often questioning question the nature of good and evil. Whether intentional or not, Melville's story captures the story of the man's fall from grace quite well. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayEven though The Book of Genesis and Billy Budd are two stories that are not normally considered similar, Melville was known for drawing inspiration from these books and stories and incorporating them into his novels. Such interpretations can bring new meaning to this timeless tale. "Common to most discussions of Billy Budd is the assumption that the story is allegorical - a narrative representation of a universal truth or law or balance of opposites, a parable of Good and of Evil." There is plenty of evidence to suggest that Billy is the prelapsarian of his story, or the Adam. Both young men are good, innocent and unfortunately drawn into a scheme that puts their livelihoods in danger. Adam and Billy never had bad intentions, but were blindly falling into a plot aimed at their demise. "In chapter 2, filled with references to Billy being 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 only wishes him harm and misfortune. Billy is just a young boy inexperienced with the reality of the world, just like the biblical Adam. The story begins as Billy is estranged from his simple and happy life on the merchant 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 propel him into the trap set for him by the antagonist. The innocent boy is sent into military service on the naval ship Bellipotent and thrown into the middle of the Napoleonic War. He is a good sailor, but quite inexperienced in such a strict and unfamiliar environment. Although his innocence causes him difficulty regulating, it seems to make him more sympathetic to his fellow crew members and especially to the captain who particularly appreciates him. This warship is a small, confined space where it is difficult to avoid conflict when Claggart, driven by his deep jealousy of Billy, decides that he does not love 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 tempting serpent. "It is shortly after this reference to Eden that Melville introduces the other main characters into the story, both of whom recall their Genesis counterparts." Both Captain Vere and Claggart represent something.