Analysis of Herman Melville´s Bartleby, the Scrivencer

Herman Melville (1819-1891) is an American writer who is widely acclaimed, among his most admired works are “Bartleby, the Scrivener” and “Benito Cereno” which both first appeared as magazine pieces and only published in 1856 as part of a collection. “Bartleby” was a story reflecting on the business world of the mid-19th century se t in New York none of its most famous and sometimes dangerous street: Wall Street. Bartleby a strange but intriguing man becomes employed in a legal office and in his life and death provides a sort of enigma for his employer, the reader, and the story itself. Bartleby , the Scrivener is a story that examines the ideas of a modern working man who is trapped in a mundane cycle that society has put him onto, the ghost of Bartleby long surpasses the life of Bartleby and in time of not only his life but his death reflects much of the cultural transformations of Melville’s America It serves essentially as a cultural and social commentary about the loss of intimacy in relationship between employers and employee as a result of the shifting from an agrarian economy to an industrial one. “Benito Cereno” on the other hand, another short story of Melville’s is considered one of his best short stories and is about a slave revolt upon a Spanish vessel. “Benito Cereno” highlights not only the gray lines of good and evil but the racial developments of the time and the importance of one of the transcendence of Babo long after his death. The haunting ghosts of Bartleby and Babo leave a mark upon the stories long after they are no longer present in them and with that allow the underlining of the stories to be uncovered, the struggle of culture and race versus human ity and its values.

“Bartleby , th...

... middle of paper ...

...and social order, both Babo and Bartleby through their silence conveyed the seriousness and dangers of a society left unchecked by the values of humanity , the understanding of another’s existence and of others self-worth. The stories presentation of these characters from a third person perspective is also essentially to understanding that the characters are present everywhere and it’s up to humanity to recognize their value and importance. The revolts of the slaves during that time were a cry for freedom and power while the changing of culture and economy was a cry for knowledge of others. Herman Melville influenced other writers with his stories but going beyond a stereotypical character and presenting its transformations through the eyes of others. Bartleby and Babo continue to haunt the stories in which they appear because of the message they each represent.