# Authority and Rebellion in Short Fiction

> Theme guide for Short Fiction by Herman Melville.

The narratives examine the tension between rigid authority (naval discipline, legal systems) and individual rebellion or passive resistance, as seen in Bartleby's refusal to work, the Great Mutiny, and the legal proceedings against Billy Budd.

## Where it surfaces

- [Bartleby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/bartleby): Bartleby's passive resistance ('I would prefer not to') challenges the narrator's authority and the expectations of the workplace.
- [Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/cock-a-doodle-doo): The narrator's rant against railroads, steamboats, and creditors expresses rebellion against the authority of industrial progress and financial systems.
- [Sketch Seventh: Charles's Isle and the Dog-King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/sketch-seventh-charles-s-isle-and-the-dog-king): The Dog-King's authoritarian rule, enforced by a canine army, is repeatedly challenged by rebellions, culminating in a successful mutiny that overthrows him and establishes a lawless 'Riotocracy.'
- [Sketch Ninth: Hood's Isle and the Hermit Oberlus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/sketch-ninth-hood-s-isle-and-the-hermit-oberlus): Oberlus establishes absolute authority over his enslaved sailors, who are too cowed to rebel despite being armed.
- [The Happy Failure](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/the-happy-failure): The uncle's authoritarian control over the experiment and his nephew's initial rebellion against the arduous journey highlight tensions between authority and individual will.
- [The Lightning-Rod Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/the-lightning-rod-man): The narrator rebels against the salesman's self-proclaimed authority, refusing to be commanded in his own home and ultimately breaking the rod and ejecting the man.
- [The Bell-Tower](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/the-bell-tower): Bannadonna's secret design and his defiance of natural and divine limits represent a rebellion against established order, while the magistrates' uneasy authority is challenged by his mysterious work.
- [Benito Cereno](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/benito-cereno): The slave revolt led by Babo challenges the established authority of the Spanish captain and crew, highlighting the tension between oppressors and the oppressed.
- [The 'Gees](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/the-gees): The power dynamic between captains and 'Gees is explored: captains exploit 'Gees for cheap labor, but also fear 'ripe' or 'knowing' 'Gees who might resist, preferring docile 'green' ones.
- [I and My Chimney](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/i-and-my-chimney): The narrator's passive resistance to his wife's authority and her attempts to assert control over the household, particularly the chimney, embody a domestic struggle for power.
- [Billy Budd, Foretopman 3: What Befell Him in the Year of the Great Mutiny, etc.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/billy-budd-foretopman): The chapter references the Great Mutiny, a major rebellion against naval authority.
- [I: (An Inside Narrative)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/i-an-inside-narrative): The impressment scene and Billy's farewell to the 'Rights-of-Man' subtly challenge naval authority and decorum.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/iii): The chapter details the Great Mutiny at Spithead and Nore, where sailors rebelled against naval authority, and the subsequent suppression and reassertion of order.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/iv): The narrator contrasts the old naval order with modern utilitarian critiques, touching on rebellion against traditional martial values.
- [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/v): The chapter explores the tension between naval authority and the lingering discontent from the mutinies, as well as Captain Vere's role in maintaining discipline.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/vi): Captain Vere's settled convictions serve as a 'dyke' against the 'invading waters of novel opinion,' highlighting the tension between established authority and emerging revolutionary ideas.
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/vii): Explored through Claggart's role as master-at-arms, a chief of police enforcing order, and the crew's potential resentment toward authority figures.
- [Life in the Foretop](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/viii): Billy's strict adherence to duty and fear of punishment reflect the tension between individual will and naval authority.
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/xii): The afterguardsman's attempt to recruit Billy into a mutinous conspiracy highlights the tension between authority and rebellion aboard the ship.
- [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/xvi): The chapter explores the dynamics of authority aboard the Indomitable, with Claggart's report of suspected mutiny challenging Captain Vere's command.
- [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/xvii): Captain Vere's shift from fatherly figure to strict disciplinarian highlights the tension between human compassion and military authority.
- [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/xviii): Captain Vere's decision to act swiftly and secretly reflects the tension between naval authority and the threat of mutiny, especially in the wake of the suppressed insurrections.
- [Chapter XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/xix): Captain Vere's announcement to the crew and the suppression of any mutinous murmur highlight the tension between military authority and the potential for rebellion.
- [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/xxi): The chaplain's inability to intervene in Billy's fate underscores the rigid authority of martial law, which overrides any moral or religious considerations.
- [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/xxii): Captain Vere's rigid adherence to naval law and the crew's silent, spontaneous echo of Billy's words underscore the tension between authority and collective emotion.
- [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/xxiii): Captain Vere's strategic use of discipline and commands to suppress the crew's murmurs highlights the tension between authority and potential rebellion.
- [Temple First](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/chapters/temple-first): The beadle's authority is challenged by the narrator's stealthy entry, and the narrator's eventual bell-ringing is a rebellious act against that authority.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/themes/authority_and_rebellion
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_28_se/themes