Short Fiction · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Short Fiction by Herman Melville.
Chapter 1
Bartleby
The elderly lawyer-narrator introduces himself, his chambers, and his employees before recounting the arrival and strange behavior of Bartleby, a scrivener who gradually refuses all work and ultimately refuses to leave the office, leading the narrator to move his practice and abandon Bartleby.
Chapter 2
Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!
The narrator, oppressed by personal debts, the deaths of friends in accidents, and the general misery of the world, is lifted from his despair by the triumphant crowing of a magnificent Shanghai cock. He resolves to find and purchase the bird, setting out on a journey through the countryside, but struggles to locate its source.
Chapter 3
The Encantadas
A descriptive and narrative exploration of the Galápagos Islands (the Encantadas), blending natural history with tales of human suffering and isolation, including the story of the Chola widow Hunilla and the hermit Oberlus.
Chapter 4
Sketch First: The Isles at Large
This opening sketch presents the Encantadas (Enchanted Isles) as a desolate, volcanic archipelago that appears cursed and unchanging. The narrator describes the barren landscape, the absence of seasons, the harsh climate, and the strange currents that make navigation treacherous. He introduces the tortoises as symbols of penal hopelessness and recounts the superstition that wicked sea-officers are transformed into them. The isles are portrayed as a fallen, otherworldly place, cut off from the rest of creation.
Chapter 5
Sketch Second: Two Sides to a Tortoise
The narrator reflects on the dual nature of the Encantadas tortoises, which are both dark and bright, and describes his first encounter with three giant tortoises brought aboard his ship. He marvels at their ancient, almost mythical appearance and their relentless, futile toil, but later joins his shipmates in eating their meat and converting their shells into soup-tureens and salvers.
Chapter 6
Sketch Third: Rock Rodondo
The narrator describes Rock Rodondo, a towering solitary rock in the Encantadas, as a natural observation point for viewing the surrounding islands. He details its appearance at dawn, its stratified ledges teeming with sea-fowl, and the diverse species of birds and fish that inhabit it, emphasizing the wild, untamed, and alien nature of the place.
Chapter 7
Sketch Fourth: A Pisgah View from the Rock
The narrator describes the arduous ascent of Rock Rodondo and the expansive view from its summit, offering a geographical and historical survey of the Encantadas and surrounding islands, including their discovery by Juan Fernandez, the desolate landscape of Albemarle and Narborough, and the deceptive mirages that characterize the region.
Chapter 8
Sketch Fifth: The Frigate, and Ship Flyaway
The narrator recounts the near-destruction of the U.S. frigate Essex under Captain David Porter near Rock Rodondo in 1813, and its subsequent mysterious chase of an enigmatic ship that changed colors and vanished, emphasizing the strange enchantments of the Encantadas and listing key eyewitness authorities on the islands.
Chapter 9
Sketch Sixth: Barrington Isle and the Buccaneers
The narrator describes Barrington Isle as a former retreat for West Indian Buccaneers, who used its secure and tranquil environment for rest and refitting after raids. He reflects on the paradoxical nature of these men, who could commit violent acts yet also create peaceful, romantic seats and appreciate nature, suggesting that not all buccaneers were unmitigated monsters.
Chapter 10
Sketch Seventh: Charles's Isle and the Dog-King
This sketch recounts the history of Charles's Isle, a barren island in the Encantadas, which was granted to a Creole adventurer from Cuba after the Peruvian war of independence. He established himself as its supreme lord, populated it with settlers and a disciplined cavalry of dogs, and ruled with martial law. After a series of rebellions, a mutiny led by deserters from foreign ships overthrew him, establishing a lawless 'Riotocracy.' The island became a refuge for runaway sailors, shunned by passing vessels. The narrator's ship encounters a beacon on the island, but the captain refuses to investigate, knowing its treacherous reputation.
Chapter 11
Sketch Eighth: Norfolk Isle and the Chola Widow
The narrator recounts his first visit to the Encantadas, where a sailor spots a white handkerchief waving from Norfolk Isle. A boat is sent and rescues Hunilla, a Chola widow who has been stranded for over 180 days after her husband Felipe and brother Truxill died. She survived by collecting dew and tortoises, and her story of solitude and suffering is told with deep sympathy.
Chapter 12
Sketch Ninth: Hood's Isle and the Hermit Oberlus
This sketch describes Hood's Isle and its sole inhabitant, Oberlus, a European castaway who has become a brutal tyrant. He kidnaps sailors, enslaves them, and arms them with cutlasses, planning to capture a passing ship. After a failed attempt to trap two ships' crews, he steals a boat and sails away, leaving behind a letter claiming to be a persecuted patriot.
Chapter 13
Sketch Tenth: Runaways, Castaways, Solitaries, Gravestones, etc.
This sketch explores the Enchanted Isles as a refuge for runaways, castaways, and solitaries, detailing the harsh conditions, the relics of hermitages, and the grim reality of death and burial on the islands. It recounts stories of desperate survival, including a man who drank from a seal's wound and another who escaped on inflated seal skins, and describes the post-offices and gravestones that mark the desolate landscape.
Chapter 14
Poor Man’s Pudding and Rich Man’s Crumbs
The narrator contrasts the meager, honest fare of the poor with the wasteful abundance of the rich, using the metaphor of 'poor man's pudding' and 'rich man's crumbs' to critique social inequality and the illusion of charity.
Chapter 15
Picture First: Poor Man's Pudding
The narrator, while visiting his friend Blandmour in the country, is persuaded to experience firsthand the life of a poor family. Blandmour romanticizes poverty through euphemisms like 'Poor Man's Manure' and 'Poor Man's Egg,' but the narrator's visit to the Coulter household reveals the harsh reality: a damp, cold home, meager food, and the quiet dignity of a struggling family. The chapter contrasts idealistic views of poverty with its actual suffering.
Chapter 16
Picture Second: Rich Man's Crumbs
The narrator, having recovered from his experience with 'Poor Man's Pudding,' travels to London in 1814 after the Battle of Waterloo. He is taken by a civic guide to the Guildhall Charity, where the leftovers from a grand banquet for princes and emperors are distributed to a desperate, starving mob. The scene descends into chaos as the beggars fight over the scraps, and the narrator is left bruised and disillusioned, rejecting both the 'Poor Man's Pudding' and the 'Rich Man's Crumbs.'
Chapter 17
The Happy Failure
The narrator joins his elderly uncle on a secretive boat trip up the Hudson River to test a mysterious invention, the Great Hydraulic-Hydrostatic Apparatus for draining swamps. After a long, tense journey and a secretive trial on Quash Island, the apparatus fails catastrophically. The uncle initially despairs but ultimately finds peace, declaring that failure has made him a good old man and praising God for it.
Chapter 18
The Lightning-Rod Man
During a violent thunderstorm in the Acroceraunian hills, the narrator encounters a mysterious stranger who claims to be a lightning-rod salesman. The stranger, dripping wet and carrying a copper rod, insists the narrator leave the hearth for safety. A tense dialogue ensues, blending humor and philosophical debate, as the narrator mocks the salesman's fear-mongering and questions his authority. The salesman grows increasingly frantic and aggressive, ultimately threatening the narrator for his 'infidel notions.' The narrator snaps the rod and throws the man out, yet reflects that the lightning-rod man still thrives by preying on human fear.
Chapter 19
The Fiddler
After his poem is harshly criticized, the narrator Helmstone storms out into Broadway, where he meets his friend Standard, who introduces him to Hautboy. Despite his initial despair, Helmstone is captivated by Hautboy's genuine cheerfulness and good nature. They attend a circus and later go to Taylor's for drinks, where Helmstone observes Hautboy's serene wisdom and balanced perspective. Later, at Hautboy's apartment, his fiddle playing magically dispels Helmstone's gloom. Standard reveals that Hautboy was once a famous child prodigy, Master Betty, who enjoyed immense fame and fortune but now lives obscurely as a fiddling teacher, yet remains happier than a king. The revelation transforms Helmstone's perspective on his own failure.
Chapter 20
The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids
The narrator contrasts the luxurious, convivial life of bachelor lawyers in London's Temple with the grim, oppressive conditions of female workers in a New England paper mill, highlighting the stark divide between privilege and exploitation.
Chapter 21
The Paradise of Bachelors
The narrator describes the Temple in London as a serene oasis from the bustling city, where modern-day Templars—now lawyers—live a life of refined bachelorhood. He recounts a lavish dinner among nine bachelors, characterized by conviviality, wit, and decorum, and concludes that this existence is the very Paradise of Bachelors.
Chapter 22
The Tartarus of Maids
The narrator, a seedsman, travels through a bleak, wintry landscape to a paper-mill located in a hellish hollow called the Devil's Dungeon. He describes the oppressive environment and the dehumanizing labor of the pale, sickly female workers who produce paper. The mill's machinery is portrayed as a mechanical, almost infernal process, culminating in the production of paper that the narrator will use for seed envelopes.
Chapter 23
The Bell-Tower
The chapter details the secret design and tragic fate of the mechanician Bannadonna, who creates a mechanical figure named Talus to strike the bell in his tower. His ambition to surpass human limitations leads to a mysterious accident, leaving the belfry shrouded in enigma and supernatural speculation.
Chapter 24
Benito Cereno
Captain Amasa Delano, commanding a sealer, encounters a mysterious Spanish ship, the San Dominick, in the harbor of St. Maria. Boarding the ship, he finds a distressed crew and cargo of slaves under the command of the ailing Captain Benito Cereno. As Delano offers aid, he gradually senses underlying tensions and deceptions, culminating in a revelation of a slave revolt led by Babo. The chapter includes depositions and official documents that expose the true, violent history of the voyage.
Chapter 25
Jimmy Rose
The narrator, an old man who has inherited a grand old house in a once-fashionable but now commercialized street, reflects on the life of Jimmy Rose, a once-prosperous gentleman who fell into poverty but retained his courtly manners and a strange, enduring bloom in his cheeks. Jimmy survives by visiting various homes for tea and toast, offering compliments and news in exchange for charity. The narrator recounts Jimmy's final days, attended by a kind young woman, and meditates on the contrast between Jimmy's former splendor and his later degradation, as well as the undying roses in his cheeks that symbolize a resilient spirit.
Chapter 26
The 'Gees
The narrator provides a detailed ethnographic account of the 'Gees, a mixed-race people from the island of Fogo in the Cape Verde archipelago, explaining their origins as descendants of Portuguese convicts and native Africans, their physical and cultural characteristics, their treatment by American whaling captains who exploit their cheap labor and docility, and the practical considerations for selecting and handling them as sailors.
Chapter 27
I and My Chimney
The narrator describes his deep attachment to his old, massive chimney and his wife's persistent efforts to have it demolished or altered. She enlists the help of Mr. Scribe, who claims to have discovered a secret closet within the chimney, but the narrator resists all attempts to tamper with his beloved chimney, seeing it as a symbol of his own steadfastness and resistance to change.
Chapter 28
The Apple-Tree Table
The narrator discovers an old, cloven-footed table in his haunted garret and brings it into his home, despite his daughters' superstitious fears. After reading Cotton Mather's accounts of witchcraft late one night, he hears a mysterious ticking from the table, which his wife dismisses as a bug. The family debates whether the table is haunted, and the narrator attempts to capture the source of the sound.
Chapter 29
The Piazza
The narrator describes his desire to build a piazza onto his old farmhouse to better enjoy the surrounding landscape, particularly the view of Mount Greylock. After constructing it, he becomes fixated on a distant, shimmering house on a mountain and sets out to visit it. There he meets Marianna, a lonely woman who lives in poverty with her brother. Through their conversation, Marianna reveals her isolation, her weariness, and her mistaken belief that the narrator's own home is a place of happiness. The narrator returns to his piazza, haunted by Marianna's story and the contrast between illusion and reality.
Chapter 30
Billy Budd, Foretopman 3: What Befell Him in the Year of the Great Mutiny, etc.
The chapter is dedicated to Jack Chase, Captain of the Main-Top in 1843 on the U.S. frigate United States, and sets the stage for Billy Budd's story during the time of the Great Mutiny.
Chapter 31
I: (An Inside Narrative)
The narrator introduces the archetype of the 'Handsome Sailor' and presents Billy Budd, a young impressed sailor of exceptional physical beauty and good nature. Billy is taken from the merchant ship 'Rights-of-Man' by Lieutenant Ratcliffe to serve on the H.M.S. Indomitable. His cheerful acceptance of impressment and his pacifying influence on his former shipmates are highlighted, establishing his innocent and fatalistic character.
Chapter 32
II
Billy Budd is introduced aboard the Indomitable, where his youthful, innocent appearance and noble bearing set him apart. He is revealed to be a foundling, illiterate but pure-hearted, with a singular vocal defect—a stutter that emerges under strong emotion. The chapter contrasts his natural virtue with the complexities of civilized life and hints at the inherent flaw in every human.
Chapter 33
III
Billy Budd is arbitrarily enlisted into the HMS Indomitable, which is on its way to join the Mediterranean fleet in the summer of 1797. The chapter provides historical context on the Spithead and Nore mutinies, describing them as dangerous uprisings that threatened England, and notes that many of the mutineers later fought heroically at the Nile and Trafalgar.
Chapter 34
IV
The narrator diverges into a bypath to discuss Admiral Nelson, comparing the old wooden warships like the Victory to modern ironclads, and reflecting on Nelson's heroic but reckless display of personal valor at Trafalgar, arguing that such glory-seeking, when coupled with duty, is the essence of military greatness.
Chapter 35
V
The chapter discusses the aftermath of the Great Mutiny at the Nore, the persistence of impressment, and the character of Captain the Honourable Edward Fairfax Vere, commander of the Indomitable. It details his background, demeanor, and the origin of his nickname 'Starry Vere.'
Chapter 36
VI
This chapter provides a detailed character sketch of Captain the Honourable Edward Fairfax Vere, commander of the Indomitable. It highlights his exceptional nature as a sea-officer with a strong intellectual bent, his love of serious books, his settled convictions against novel social and political opinions, and his somewhat isolated, pedantic reputation among his fellow officers.
Chapter 37
VII
This chapter introduces John Claggart, the master-at-arms of the Indomitable, detailing his physical appearance, mysterious past, and the rumors surrounding his entry into the Navy. It also discusses the historical context of impressment and the questionable recruitment practices of the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
Chapter 38
Life in the Foretop
Billy Budd enjoys his life in the foretop, but after witnessing a flogging, he becomes overly punctilious in duty. He finds himself in petty trouble and seeks counsel from the old Dansker, who cryptically warns him that the master-at-arms, 'Jemmy Legs,' is down on him.
Chapter 39
Chapter IX
Billy Budd spills soup on the deck, and Claggart's reaction reveals his hidden hostility despite his playful words, confirming the Dansker's earlier warning.
Chapter 40
The Enigma of Claggart's Antipathy
The narrator delves into the mysterious and innate antipathy that Master-at-Arms John Claggart feels toward Billy Budd, exploring the concept of 'natural depravity' and the difficulty of understanding such an exceptional, evil nature through ordinary knowledge of the world.
Chapter 41
XI
This chapter delves into the psychological depths of Claggart's envy and antipathy toward Billy Budd, exploring the contrast between Billy's innocent, heroic beauty and Claggart's inner malice. It reveals Claggart's intellectual appreciation of Billy's moral phenomenon, his despair at his own evil, and his use of the corporal Squeak to ferment ill will through petty persecutions and false reports.
Chapter 42
XII
Billy Budd is approached by a mysterious afterguardsman who tries to recruit him into a mutinous conspiracy. Billy, confused and angered, threatens to throw the man overboard, and the emissary flees. The incident is later discussed among the forecastlemen, who approve of Billy's response.
Chapter 43
XIII
Billy Budd is deeply puzzled and disturbed by the afterguardsman's covert approach, which he instinctively senses involves evil. He tries to dismiss the incident but remains uneasy. He partially confides in the old Dansker, who cryptically warns him that 'Jemmy Legs is down on you' and refers to the afterguardsman as a 'cat's-paw.'
Chapter 44
XIV
The narrator reflects on Billy Budd's childlike innocence and lack of worldly experience, which prevents him from recognizing the master-at-arms Claggart's malevolence despite the Dansker's warnings. The chapter contrasts the frankness of sailors with the finesse of landsmen, emphasizing Billy's unsophisticated nature.
Chapter 45
XV
Billy Budd continues to enjoy the goodwill of his shipmates, but Claggart's hidden animosity grows more intense and conflicted, marked by melancholy, yearning, and sudden flashes of rage. Billy remains unaware of the danger, while minor officers begin to cast suspicious glances at him, and the afterguardsman abandons his earlier scheme.
Chapter 46
Chapter XVI
Captain Vere is approached by Master-at-Arms Claggart, who reports suspicions of mutinous behavior aboard the Indomitable. Claggart specifically accuses Billy Budd of being a dangerous and covert instigator. Captain Vere, initially surprised and skeptical, questions Claggart's motives and the validity of his accusations, recalling Claggart's prior overzealousness and a past perjured witness. Despite his doubts, Vere decides to test the accuser before making the matter public.
Chapter 47
Chapter XVII
Billy Budd is brought before Captain Vere and Claggart, who falsely accuses him of mutiny. Struck by a speech impediment and overwhelmed, Billy strikes Claggart, killing him instantly. Captain Vere, initially paternal, shifts to a military disciplinarian and orders Billy confined. He calls a drumhead court, despite the surgeon's misgivings about his mental state.
Chapter 48
Chapter XVIII
Captain Vere convenes a drumhead court to try Billy Budd for the killing of Claggart. Despite the moral complexity of the case—where innocence and guilt seem to change places—Vere argues for strict adherence to martial law, and the court convicts Billy, sentencing him to be hanged at dawn.
Chapter 49
Chapter XIX
Captain Vere personally informs Billy Budd of the court's death sentence. The private interview between them remains unknown, though it is conjectured that Vere may have revealed his motives and that Billy received the news with a sort of joy. Vere, old enough to be Billy's father, may have embraced him like Abraham with Isaac. After the interview, Vere announces the events to the crew, stating that Claggart is dead and Billy has been condemned, without mentioning mutiny. The crew listens in stunned silence. Claggart's body is buried at sea with full honors, and strict routine is maintained to avoid speculation. Billy is placed under guard with only the chaplain allowed access.
Chapter 50
Chapter XX
Billy Budd lies in irons on the upper gun-deck of the Indomitable, awaiting his dawn execution. The chaplain visits him, but Billy, though aware of his impending death, faces it with a childlike serenity and lack of fear, having found peace after his interview with Captain Vere.
Chapter 51
XXI
The chaplain attempts to prepare Billy Budd for death, but Billy's natural innocence and politeness prevent him from fully grasping the religious concepts. The chaplain, recognizing Billy's essential innocence, ultimately withdraws without pressing his message, kissing Billy on the cheek before leaving. The chapter reflects on the incongruity of a chaplain serving in a military context, where the religion of peace is subordinated to the demands of war.
Chapter 52
XXII
At dawn, Billy Budd is executed by hanging from the main-yard. His final words, 'God bless Captain Vere!', echo spontaneously through the crew. Captain Vere stands rigid. A subsequent debate between the purser and the surgeon questions whether Billy's death was a natural spasm or a willful euthanasia.
Chapter 53
A Digression
The purser and the surgeon debate the cause of Billy Budd's lack of spasmodic movement after his hanging, with the purser attributing it to willpower and the surgeon insisting it is a scientific anomaly beyond current explanation.
Chapter 54
XXIII
The chapter describes the execution of Billy Budd and the subsequent burial at sea, focusing on the disciplined response of the crew, the strategic commands of Captain Vere to suppress any murmurs of dissent, and the superstitious reactions of the sailors to the sea-fowl circling the burial spot.
Chapter 55
Chapter XXIV
The narrator reflects on the ragged edges of truth in factual narration, then recounts the fate of Captain Vere after the events of the Great Mutiny. During an engagement with the French ship Athéiste, Vere is mortally wounded by a musket-ball. He is taken to Gibraltar, where he lingers for days before dying. On his deathbed, under the influence of a drug, he murmurs 'Billy Budd, Billy Budd,' which the attending officer—a member of the drumhead court who was most reluctant to condemn Billy—interprets as not remorseful.
Chapter 56
XXV
A naval chronicle's account of the execution of Billy Budd is reproduced, presenting a distorted version of events that portrays Billy as a foreign assassin and Claggart as a patriotic victim.
Chapter 57
Chapter XXVI
The chapter reflects on how the spar from which Billy Budd was hanged becomes a relic for the sailors, who venerate it despite their ignorance of the true circumstances. It emphasizes their instinctive belief in Billy's innocence and his pure nature. The chapter concludes with a ballad composed by a fellow foretopman, titled 'Billy in the Darbies,' which imagines Billy's final thoughts and his peaceful acceptance of death.
Chapter 58
Daniel Orme
A sketch of an old, mysterious sailor named Daniel Orme, a retired man-of-war's man with a solitary and moody disposition. He is discovered to have a crucifix tattooed on his chest, crossed by a scar, which fuels superstitious rumors among his fellow lodgers. The narrative follows his quiet, decaying life ashore and ends with his death on Easter Day, found alone on a terrace overlooking the harbor, his pipe smoked out, facing the sea.
Chapter 59
The Two Temples
The narrator recounts his experiences in two contrasting temples: a grand, exclusive church in London where he is turned away for his shabby appearance, and a humble, welcoming theater where he finds genuine community and spiritual uplift.
Chapter 60
Temple First
The narrator describes his attempt to attend a Sunday service at a grand new Gothic church. After being turned away by the beadle for lacking a fine coat, he sneaks in through a tower door and climbs to a high window to observe the service. He becomes trapped when the door locks behind him, and in desperation he rings the bell, which brings the beadle who has him arrested. The next day, despite his explanations, he is fined and reprimanded for disturbing the peace.
Chapter 61
Temple Second
The narrator, penniless and friendless in London on a Saturday night, reflects on his dismissal from a post as a traveling physician. He wanders through the crowded streets, eventually finding a tranquil street with a theatre. A stranger gives him a ticket, and he enters the theatre's topmost gallery, where he finds a welcoming community of working-class people and a generous boy who offers him ale. The experience contrasts with his earlier expulsion from a temple, highlighting themes of charity and human connection.
Chapter 62
Endnotes
The endnotes provide editorial commentary, source attributions, and manuscript revisions for Melville's works, including notes on the Encantadas, Billy Budd, and the rejected 'Two Temples' manuscript, along with a letter from Putnam's Monthly editor Charles F. Briggs.
