Justice and Injustice

Where it surfaces

• Sketch Seventh: Charles's Isle and the Dog-King

  The king's 'justice' is arbitrary and violent, involving hunting and shooting subjects, while the rebels' 'liberty' descends into lawlessness, highlighting the failure of both systems.

• Sketch Tenth: Runaways, Castaways, Solitaries, Gravestones, etc.

  The chapter highlights the injustice of tyrannical ship captains who abandon seamen to perish on the isles, and the desperate measures men take to escape oppression.

• Poor Man’s Pudding and Rich Man’s Crumbs

  The chapter highlights the injustice of social inequality and the failure of charity to address systemic poverty.

• Picture First: Poor Man's Pudding

  The chapter highlights the injustice of poverty and the failure of society's charitable systems, as the poor suffer in dignity and silence.

• Picture Second: Rich Man's Crumbs

  The charity is portrayed as a cruel mockery of justice, where the rich offer scraps to the starving while celebrating their own excess, highlighting systemic inequality.

• The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids

  The stark inequality between the leisured bachelors and the exploited maids highlights systemic injustice.

• The Tartarus of Maids

  The dehumanizing labor and the 'executioner' imagery of the girls sharpening scythes suggest systemic injustice and exploitation.

• Benito Cereno

  The legal depositions and the tribunal's eventual condemnation of the rebels raise questions about the justice of the slave system and the violent rebellion against it.

• Jimmy Rose

  The story questions the justice of a society that allows a once-generous man to fall into such desperate need, and the meager charity he receives.

• The 'Gees

  The 'Gees are subjected to harsh treatment—cuffs, buffets, and punches—without fair wages, and some argue they 'never gets his due,' highlighting systemic injustice.

• III

  The mutinies arose from 'reasonable discontent growing out of practical grievances,' highlighting issues of fairness and the treatment of sailors.

• V

  Discusses the unresolved grievances after the mutiny, such as impressment and contractor abuses, highlighting systemic injustice.

• VII

  The questionable recruitment practices, including drafting from jails and press-gangs, raise issues of justice and the treatment of individuals by the state.

• Chapter XVI

  Captain Vere grapples with the justice of Claggart's accusations and the potential for false witness, reflecting on the moral weight of his decisions.

• Chapter XVII

  The drumhead court and Captain Vere's decision to try Billy for killing Claggart raise questions about justice and military necessity.

• Chapter XVIII

  The chapter explores the conflict between legal justice and moral right, as innocence and guilt 'in effect changed places' and the court must condemn a blameless man under martial law.

• Chapter XIX

  The drumhead court's condemnation of Billy, despite his innocence of intent, raises questions about the nature of justice versus legal formality.

• XXI

  The chapter questions the justice of executing an innocent man under military law, with the chaplain's passive acceptance highlighting the systemic injustice.

• XXII

  The execution of Billy, a fundamentally good man, raises questions about the justice of military law and the nature of true justice.

• Chapter XXIV

  The drumhead court's reluctant condemnation of Billy haunts Vere, as reflected in his final murmur.

• XXV

  The official account presents a skewed version of justice, labeling Budd a depraved assassin while ignoring Claggart's malice.

• Chapter XXVI

  The crew's veneration of the spar and their ballad reflect a sense of injustice, as they sense the penalty was unavoidable from a naval perspective yet mourn the loss of an innocent man.

• The Two Temples

  The narrator is unjustly barred from worship based on his appearance, highlighting social inequity.

• Temple First

  The narrator is unjustly turned away from the church and later arrested and fined for a minor trespass, highlighting the arbitrary and class-based nature of justice.

• Temple Second

  The narrator's dismissal from his post and his subsequent poverty highlight the arbitrary and unjust nature of his circumstances.