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Is the central theme in Benito Cereno supposed to be based on slavery? The main theme of the novel, good vs. evil is really the conflict of the plot. Much of the story revolves on the destructive force of evil. The initial evil of the story, and the one that causes all the action is the instituation of slavery. Melville clearly believes that it is wrong for one human being to own another. And as …

…the group he chose to have enslaved in the book, and the violent rebellion. It can be questioned whether the main theme was based on slavery or not. But it is clear that Melville when writing his paper was not thinking within the framework of the cultural concerns of his time. There are numerous of explorations as to the core of the issue, which are still currently being debated on among other critics and writers.