Billy Budd, Sailor by Herman Melville is a critically acclaimed short story set on the coasts of England in the last decade of the eighteenth century. The plot revolved around a young sailor, Billy Budd, who was pulled from the ship he was originally on, The Rights of Man, and was oppressed by a British naval warship called HMS Billopotent. There were numerous allusions used throughout the novella which strengthened the meaning of this great work. The allusions used are from myths, the Bible, history, and other literary works. All together they illuminate the true meaning of the entire story. Biblical allusions have been used vividly in this work. In fact, significant reference is made between Billy Budd, the protagonist, and John Claggart, Billy's Foil, throughout the film. Billy Budd was compared to Adam from the Garden of Eden and John Claggart to a serpent indicating Satan. From the reader's perspective, Herman Melville used it to evoke associations between the two characters and the Bible. Billy resembled Adam from the Garden of Eden because he was often portrayed as completely innocent. John Claggart, on the other hand, was described as someone who had a compliant exterior, but an evil and sinister interior. Also, there was another great reference involving another major character, Captain the Honorable Edward Fairfax Vere, who was tied to God with Billy tied to Jesus. How? According to the Bible, God had to sacrifice his son Jesus Christ to gain obedience from his Kingdom. In Billy Budd, Sailor, we sense that Vere has strong feelings of care for Billy almost like a father would for a son. Vere had an internal conflict that led him to choose between Billy: stay alive or die... middle of paper... or powerful was. In conclusion, it was evident that this great literary work provides many allusions that provide references to more familiar works and help us understand the meaning of the work more clearly. While the allusions do not all address the entire meaning of the work, they illuminate a broader perspective of the characters, setting, and tone. However, there were many allusions that illuminated the entire meaning of the novella, and even if the true meaning remains ambiguous, they still reflected what most readers consider the meaning to be. The meaning of Herman Melville's well-known masterpiece is that the one who suffered was not really the one who suffers, but the one who caused the suffering is actually the one who is suffering. Works Cited Melville, Herman. Billy Budd, sailor. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1988. Print.