McGowan Melville

The ambiguity in "Benito Cerano" essentially takes root in the juxtaposition of Babo and Cerano's elusive relationship with the honesty which which Melville portrays Delano's character. Throughout the narrative, we are given hints of Delano's suspicion about the San Dominick, which are almost immediately repressed by the apparently inherent goodness and slight naivete of his character. This sense of goodness and naivete may be a means of likening Delano's character to the American sensibility. That is, America's being a relatively young country might contribute to excessive trust when dealing with foreign affairs. Delano is always assuming the best of both parties on the ship: slaves and masters. For instance, "But unwilling to leave him unsupported while yet imperfectly restored, the black with one arm still encircled his master, at the same time keeping his eye fixed on his face, as if to watch for the first sign of complete restoration, or relapse, as the event might prove."Here, we see that Delano is quick to assume the best possible attribute for a relatively alarming situation. However, this passage is full of subtle hints, which point at Babo's mastership over Cerano, specifically in the mention of his fixed eye, which peculiarly never leaves Cerano. The ambiguity of Cerano's and Babo's characters thus results from their inseparability. Because they are portrayed as the typical slave/owner relationship, their characters are never explored individually until the end. 

The deposition at the end of the novella brings to light the ominous foreshadowings present throughout the narrative, such as "'Faithful fellow!' cried Captain Delano. 'Don Benito, I envy you such a friend; slave I cannot call him.'" Not only does this foreshadow the revelation of the subversion of Cerano and Babo's roles, it also seems to pre-exonerate Cerano from the moral repugnance of slavery. The reason for which Babo is condemned as a result of the deposition is that he and his comrades are described as having displayed an almost medieval sense of brutality and dominion, specifically regarding the display of Don Alexandro's remains, "the Negro Babo took by succession each Spaniard forward, and asked him whose skeleton that was, and whether, from its whiteness, he should not think it a white’s; that each Spaniard covered his face". Cerano, in addition to his skin color as a sure reason for exoneration, took a more passive role in the slave trade, whereas Babo's actions were direct and brutal. This is important to take into account not only with respect to the time period (pre-civil war), but also regarding  what constitutes guilt apart from and in addition to skin color.