STUDY QUESTIONS

1. Compare and contrast Captain Delano and Captain Cereno.

2. How does Captain Delano's "good nature" stand in the way of his knowing the truth about the San Dominick?

3. Describe Babo and how he shows his cleverness throughout the story.

4. Who is the symbol of goodness is the novel and why?

5. Who is the symbol of evil in the novel and why?

6. What is the climax of the plot and why is it the climax?

7. Where are the words, "Follow your leader," found in the story? To which situation can they be applied and why?

8. What is Melville's attitude about slavery, as subtly brought out in the story?

9. What is the purpose of the deposition and what is learned from it? Do you think that it adds to or detracts from the plot?

10. How is the story unified into a whole in spite of the flashback in the deposition?

11. What images are repeated throughout the story and how do they add to the effectiveness of the plot?

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