Benito Cereno

The motif of leadership permeates the novella, conveying the themes of The Unreliability of Appearances and slavery and racism as dehumanizing. The phrase “follow your leader” recurs several times; Delano initially encounters it chalked on the side of the San Dominick. The phrase takes on a macabre significance when it’s revealed Babo used it to threaten the Spanish sailors and when, after Cereno’s death, the narrator states that he “did, indeed, follow his leader” (122). Here, the concept of following one’s leader is not a call to embrace a noble cause but rather a grim march toward death. The misinterpretation of this sentence by Delano as a motivational motto for the San Dominick’s sailors underscores the central theme that appearances can be deceiving, masking the ominous presence of violence.

Moreover, Delano consistently misjudges the leadership dynamics abord the San Dominick. Believing Cereno to be in charge of his ship, he often questions his leadership skills; observing his apathetic behavior, Delano concludes that “had Benito Cereno been a man of greater energy, misrule would hardly have come to the present pass” (16). He therefore attributes the strange happenings on the ship to Cereno’s weak leadership, never considering that the Black passengers might actually be in charge. In stark contrast to Cereno, Babo emerges as a true leader. Originally captain of the enslaved passengers, he is the mastermind behind the revolt and subtly asserts his authority even in Delano’s presence: When Delano gives out navigational orders, Babo echoes them, reassuring the rebels that he is still in command. Cereno, in sharp contrast, remains weak and passive, confined to his cabin. The novella therefore exposes the absurdity of ascribing “natural” leadership abilities to people on the basis of race, class, etc.