Literature Review On The Narrative Of The Life-Billy Bud, Sailor

The Narrative of the Life was written entirely by Frederick Douglass himself who was a former slave. The novel describes his life as a slave, the horrors of slavery, and his struggle for freedom. He created the abolitionist movement in his effort to free his fellow African-American from slavery. Billy Bud, Sailor is a novel written by Herman Melville. The novel describes the life of a young, handsome and innocent sailor who was executed for accidentally killing his officer. His death was lovingly remembered and became a living symbol for all sailors.
Both novels represent cruelty, injustice and violation on human rights. Billy was a victim of false accusations and was executed for murder without due process. Douglass on the other hand, was a slave who suffered under the hands of his cruel masters and was put to jail when he attempted to escape. Both characters, Billy and Douglass were illegitimate orphans who didn’t know much information about themselves. Though both of them bore innocence, there were differences on how each of them struggled for survival.
The character of Billy is somewhat ironic. He portrays a young, sweet and innocent likeable man and a peacemaker but at the same time, he is impulsive and impatient. He punches anyone when provoked yet when he was falsely accused of mutiny, he was defenseless and weak. He sacrificed himself in his desire to protect his fellow sailors. He died helplessly of a crime he did not intend to commit. His death eventually made him a martyr. The character of Douglass holds a strong sense of determination. Despite all the beatings of his cruel masters, he remained steadfast and submissive. Being a slave was never an obstacle for him. He was determined to fight for his freedom by religiously educating himself through reading and writing. In the end, he was considered a hero because he was able to free his fellow slaves.
My conclusion was that both novels contain a great deal of heroism. Douglass and Billy were both heroes in their own right. The only difference is that Billy is a dead martyr while Douglass is a living hero.