If I Were the Devil: Confidence Man Part 2

What does this Confidence Man want? What exactly is he after in these various encounters with unsuspecting individuals, who for all their lack of confidence put far too much trust in the devil? I personally think he has little interest in actually receiving their money, because many of the amounts he collects are small and hardly seem worth the time spent conniving. The Confidence Man’s desire seems to be much more rooted in the art of persuasion, the desire to win the challenge of getting whatever he sets his mind to at the expense of anyone. I believe that were the confidence man to decide he wanted to get everyone on the ship to shed a tear or to bark like a dog, his delight in victory would be just as great. He chases for the sake of a chase and dupes others as though it is an art rather than a money making scheme.

I wonder whether Melville used the bachelor as a mouthpiece for his own views on the world, saying “…one cannot enjoy life with gusto unless he renounce the too-sober view of life. But since the too-sober view is, doubtless, nearer true than the too-drunken; I, who rate truth, though cold water, above untruth, though Tokay, will stick to my earthen jug.” The confidence man and bachelor are discussing the age-old dichotomy of optimism and pessimism, examining a glass that is half empty or half full. The old cliché, “Ignorance is bliss,” applies to many of the passengers aboard the Fidele. Many of the passengers have stories of disappointment, betrayal, and distrust to tell the confidence man. Modeling an almost intentional blindness to real life evidence, the confidence man always manages to repaint the story in a light that makes humanity look worthy of confidence. Melville is dealing with an issue that seems more gray than black and white. The confidence man’s stubborn ignorance in his words is ironically countered by his jaded and shrewd actions. Melville effectively portrays the struggle to maintain hope and reality. One cannot assume the best in everyone at the expense of being in denial about flaws and hurts. Yet one cannot suspect the worst without driving oneself into isolation or despair. Somewhere in the middle, a balance must be found.

Snake imagery is rife throughout the novel, which is fitting for the devil typology into which the confidence man fits. He slithers around and sweetly seduces, waiting until the right moment to strike with a fatal blow. He hypnotizes the barber into agreement, an image that makes me think of a snake’s glassy eyes. Melville describes the confidence man as looking at the barber like “certain creatures in nature, which have the power of persuasive fascination—the power of holding another creature by the button of the eye, as it were, despite the serious disinclination, and, indeed, earnest protest, of the victim.” I imagine the confidence man’s workings much like a snake, paralyzing a small animal and holding it tight within its grasp until all struggle bleeds out of the victim.

The song “If I Were” by Andy Gullahorn fits the confidence man’s tactics perfectly:

If I were the devil, I wouldn’t wear red
I wouldn’t have horns or a pitchfork
I wouldn’t breathe fire cause it might give me away
If I were the devil you’d never know
I’d befriend you quick and corrupt you slow
So you don’t notice until it’s far too late
If I were the devil, if I were the devil

If I were the devil, I’d spend all day
Lowering standards of what’s okay
To think, to say, to watch on your TV
And I’d break down the value of promises kept
And fade out truth till there’s nothing left
Except gossip and lies popping up as thick as weeds
If I were the devil, if I were the devil

I might not be as foreign as you think
Cause I wouldn’t only show my evil side
I’ve got the time and patience just to wait
To steal your soul just one sin at a time
Like I would if I were the devil