Parody of Justice in Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, the Sailor

Abstract

The idea that justice is fair and all-inclusive may not be equally applicable to all. For when justice comes to implementation, it is often arbitrary and defines and functioned by those who hold power in their hands. In Billy Budd, the Sailor Captain Edward Vere is the commander-in-chief of a British ship in the Pacific Ocean. As per law, he is the Chief of the Ship and the judge and final authority to events happening in the ship. This very power vested in him gives rise to an event, where in one hand, he seems to conduct justice and in other, he pronounces death penalty for seemingly an act of humane error. As, the situation explains notion of justice as purely the use of power and that too, based on the conscience of an individual; but, philosophically, it should be fair, equitable and conduct for the welfare of all those concerned. It is often found that justice is pronounced based on power, be termed as fair justice. The idea of justice, as such, is a disputed issue and there is hardly a natural flow to it; as such, this is often guided as per the will of the ruler. Based on these conflicting notions of justice, this research shall conduct research on whether justice is a paradox, based on the idea of John Rawls who has laid principles for fairness of justice.