As the novel begins, Melville characterizes Billy as Christ-like figure. His eyes are of a blue shade that resembles the clear waters of the world. The same can be seen in the eyes of Jesus Christ, which were of a pure blue hue. They were so pure and gentle that just the sight of his eyes mesmerized people. Billy's body is even Christ-like in structure as it is described as "symmetrical in figure". This resembles the body of Jesus as he is seen on crucifixes with a heavenly body of a muscular nature. Billy's face also becomes Like that of a Christ-figure while it is "beamed with barbaric good humor" under the hot July sky. This overall appearance causes Billy to be known as the "Handsome Sailor". He is faultless in appearance and resembles Jesus Christ. He is pure, youthful and innocent complexi

The young man who boarded the Bellipotent may have seemed like a normal sailor at first. However, In Herman Melville's story, Billy Budd, Billy Budd becomes a great symbol to his captain and his crewmembers aboard the ship. He is not an ordinary figure but he becomes a Christ-like figure who is as pure as any man could be. These Christ-like attributes are seen throughout the novel and even as Billy Budd dies upon the yardarm he encompasses all the symbols of Jesus Christ.

Finally, the Christ-like attributes of Billy Budd come to life as Billy is subjected to execution at the end of the novel. As Billy is hung, a solitary white cloud hangs in the sky as to represent the purity that Billy creates around him. His shipmates stretch across the ship watching Billy in his final moments of life. Billy yells "God-bless Captain Vere" as he dies and then all is silent. In a crucifix-like death Billy loses his life. This is similar to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ from the Bible. Before Jesus died he yelled "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" It is a blessing to God, which resembles the blessing Billy gives to Captain Vere. Also, as Jesus dies a thick curtain is present which conceals the holiest of holy men. But as Jesus dies the curtain rips open revaling the holy men. This is comparable to the cloud, which hangs over Billy as he dies. After Billy dies th

Some common words found in the essay are:
Billy Budd, Jesus Christ, Lamb God, Vere Jesus, Catholic-priest Billy's, Bellipotent Christ-like, Bellipotent Claggert, Captain Vere, Billy Jesus, Billy's Christ-figure, billy budd, jesus christ, aboard ship, wrongly accused, novel billy, captain vere, death billy, jesus christ pure, billy sailor, christ-like attributes, billy accused, billy handsome sailor, aboard ship billy,
Approximate Word count = 930
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)