Misanthropy is a four-letter word in The Confidence-Man. It's a distrust of and distaste for other people—all the people.
Now, if you're a misanthrope and you're out at sea, you're in for a tough time, since all you've got is time and a crowd. If you do venture to mingle on this particular ship, you'll meet liars, tricksters, pick-pockets, and ruffians.
At least that's how you'll see these peeps if you're a misanthrope. Self-fulfilling prophecy?
In this novel, misanthropy gets pitted against charity, which is both a feeling and an action. "Do you love your fellow man?" is a quick self-check on the charity meter. Failing that, the next best thing is seeing how willing you are to help a stranger—or even a friend—out.
The battle between misanthropy and charity seems polarizing for Melville's characters, but there are scenes when things are more complicated. The various confidence-men in the text are quick to label people as either human-loving or human-hating, but some of the characters push back. They want to be able to give a nuanced answer and rely on the power of "sometimes."
Questions About Philosophical Viewpoints: Misanthropy vs. Charity
- How would you define misanthropy and charity based on the information from the text?
- In what ways is Pitch not a misanthrope?
- How does hypocrisy affect misanthropy in this text? How does it affect charity?
- How can you determine if Frank is truly charitable?
Chew on This
Melville isn't really interested in getting his readers to love one another. All he's trying to do is prove that people are hypocrites who don't care about others, even if they pretend they do.
Misanthropy versus charity in this text is a zero-sum game: either you love everyone, or you hate everyone. There's no in-between.