Follow Your Leader

In Herman Melville’s Benito Cereno we witness the main character, Captain Delano, spot an erratic ship in the distance. He decides to board the ship and as he heads towards the ship he sees a phrase written below the figure-head. As Delano describes it, “Rudely painted or chalked, as in a sailor freak, along the forward side of a sort of pedestal below the canvas, was the sentence, ‘Seguid vuestro jefe’ (follow your leader)…” (165). Delano’s emotions aren’t fully known, but as a reader I saw this phrase as a positive sign. As I read this passage for the first time I thought it as a sign of good faith within a cloud of mystery and ominousness. At first read I knew little of how well that quote worked as foreshadowing.

            As the tale continues, we learn of the true dark significance of ‘Seguid vuestro jefe’. While a rather strange scuffle occurs between the two ships, the madness that ensues uncovers the figure-head of the San Dominick; revealing the skeletal remains of the true captain, Captain Alexandro Aranda. This chaotic scene is heightened once the bones are seen hung on the edge of the ship. In Benito Cereno’s deposition we learn that Babo was the one who wrote ‘Seguid vuestro jefe’, which explains why it looked rudely painted. Babo tells the remaining Spaniards, “Keep faith with the blacks from here to Senegal, or you shall in spirit, as now in body, follow your leader” (245) as he points to the bones of Aranda. This initially inspiring quote for seaman is shown to actually be an aggressive threat.

            I was very intrigued with how well Melville set up the significance of the quote. I cannot speak for everyone, but I think including the quote in the beginning was supposed to have readers feel optimistic about what will happen next. Perhaps I’m just not reading well enough into the words. It’s amazing how much the meaning of words can change depending on the situation. One humorous example is placing emphasis on a different word in the following statement: “I never said she stole my money.” (go ahead, try it). But in the case of Benito Cereno, the phrases ‘follow your leader’ became a threat in a way I never would have imagined.