Like Charles Dickens, Herman Melville typifies his characters by the selection of evocative names. He chooses Billy Budd as a naive, childlike nickname for the standard English given name of William. Likewise, Budd, suggesting an emerging flower, underscores the notion of immaturity and innocence. His foil and nemesis, John Claggart, also bears a common English given name along with the harsh, cacophonous name that typifies his role as conniving perpetrator of evil and disturber of universal order. Rounding out the group of three major figures is Captain Vere, whose surname suggests two Latin words: verus, which means “true,” and vir, which means “man.” The conjunction of these two denotations creates a picture of a dependable, stalwart leader.
Lesser characters also bear prophetic names. Squeak, the diminutive, ferret-like toady who sniffs out information for Claggart, carries a nickname that suggests a small, weak animal. Ratcliffe, the impressment officer, also is marked by a name suggesting the predatory nature of his job. Both Graveling and Mordant have ominous names, the first suggesting the seriousness of Billy’s impressment, the second characterizing the caustic, biting nature of military law, which ultimately executes Billy.
