It took me so long to figure out what was going on in the story "Benito Cereno". It was not necessarily that the reading was difficult, I just lack the ability to foresee possible endings. It was actually when the narrator told the readers what happened that I fully understood what had happened on the boat. For the longest time I was under the suspicion that Don Cereno was the one who was out to get Captain Delano. His odd actions and weird conversations led me to believe that he was withholding information. The thought that the slaves could have been the ones running the show never crossed my mind. Not that the thought is unthinkable, it is just something that you never hear about in History class. I honestly don't know if I have ever heard of such a case. Melville catches you completely off guard when Don Cereno jumps ship. That must have been the moment I knew. When Don Cereno would not let go of Captain Delano's hand I knew that he was stalling. You could really sense the fear that Don Cereno was feeling at that moment. The fear that this might be the last time that he might encounter what he considered civilization and freedom. It seems odd that a man that is being forced into submission could still feel that certain people still deserve that kind of treatment.
But even when I thought I had it all figured out I was still stereotyping. I thought that it must have been the large African American man, Atufal, that would have led the revolution. Surely the only way they could have successfully taken over the ship would have been with his brawn. However, once again I was wrong. It was in fact Babo, the small and seemingly gentle aid to the Captain that led the deadly revolt. I was so quick to judge that the only way that the slaves could have made a successful revolt would have been through physical intimidation. Though force was used it was their intelligence and careful planning that got them as far as they did.