White privilege existed from historical events that endured racism and prejudice. It is a concept of societal advantages or immunity afforded to white people over non-white people. Heman Melville's short story Benito Cereno is a third-person limited account of the historical event of a failed slave in captivity lifting the Spanish ship. Benito Cereno uses “the invisible man” to discuss the blind metaphor between slaves and white characters. Melville criticizes discourses on white privilege but also their internal contradictions and the way in which they enable the slave revolution. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayBenito Cereno revolves around the climatic events that followed the events of the slave mutiny in Santo Domingo, controlled by the Spanish captain Don Benito. However, the slaves maintain a charade which results from American Captain Amasa Delano remaining blind to the truth about control of the ship which is led by Babo. Delano's blindness is shown in a literal and symbolic sense which generates a feeling of uncertainty. Early in the book, Delano finds himself in "gray vapors" and "creeping clouds" to allude to the illusion that his perception is weakened. Nor can he perceive the slave's revolt. It is not until Cerano desperately joins the ship to prevent Babo's attempt to kill him from exposing the slave rebellion. Delano is constantly reassured of his doubts due to the physical appearance of blacks as unsophisticated and whites, "by nature, the more astute race". Nonetheless, Delano's assumption that white supremacy becomes a liability. For example, Atufal who is one of the leaders of the slave revolt acts to be chained while Cerano is in possession of the key to his padlock as proof of his lordship over the slaves. Delano misinterprets the symbolic roles played between master and slave since Atufal simply feigns his refusal to ask his master for forgiveness, while Cerano, himself, is imprisoned. Captain Delano's firm belief in white supremacy leads him to stereotype Babo as the Spaniard's devoted companion. Interestingly, Babo is conceived as the invisible man and he recognizes that it is sometimes advantageous to be invisible, playing the role of the emasculated black slave to achieve his ends. During the shaving scene, Babo actually controls his master as he threatened to cut him with the razor if he decides to give Delano any clues. Even after Babo's execution, his head can be seen as the shadow of blacks on whites, embodying the fear of white privilege rather than black inferiority. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. In Benito Cereno, white privilege becomes doubly blinding by not seeing itself clearly and also not seeing how it would appear to other races. This demonstrates how black rescuers were keenly aware of Delano's complacent whiteness to exploit their former masters. For most of the story, Delano remained unconscious due to his objectification of blackness, as he was blinded by his own white supremacist prejudices..