On the surface, Melville' s Billy Budd is a simple story with a simple theme  However, if one views the novel as a religious allegory, then it assumes a richness and profundity that place it among the great novels of the nineteenth century  However, the central question remains: Did Melville intend an allegorical reading
Since there is no textual or historical evidence that he did, we should be content with reading Billy Budd as a simple tragedy
Given a choice between an allegorical and a nonallegorical reading of a novel, one should choose the latter.