Benito Cereno

Content Warning: This section discusses racism and enslavement.

The deteriorated condition of the San Dominick symbolizes the revolt happening aboard it, developing the theme of Slavery and Racial Bias as Dehumanizing. When Captain Delano first lays eyes on the vessel, he notices the absence of a flag, a standard maritime protocol. This details hints at irregularities, and the ship’s decay becomes apparent as Delano approaches it. The figurehead is concealed beneath a cloth, and Delano states that “her keel seemed laid, her ribs put together, and she launched, from Ezekiel’s Valley of Dry Bones” (11). This is a biblical allusion laden with significance. In the Old Testament, Ezekiel witnesses the divine transformation of a valley of dry bones into living people, symbolizing the restoration of the enslaved Israeli people. In the context of Benito Cereno, the bones are the enslaved Black passengers, once resigned to hopelessness but now seizing control of their destiny and seeking to return to their homeland. The fact the San Dominick is worn and weathered also represents the horrors and atrocities of the revolt.

Despite this symbolism, Delano, characterized by his trustful and naive nature, fails to grasp the gravity of the situation.