Today’s world seems to be getting better. Technology is improving, quality of life is improving, and life expectancy is going up. However, the suicide and depression rate is as high as it has ever been, specifically in the workforce. This issue is not recent though, it has been around for at least as long since Herman Melville wrote “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street.” His story shows a worker who is brought into depression by his isolation and work. Bartleby shows many of the signs of depression such as loss of interest in his job, lack of energy, and an overall lack luster attitude. Melville could have been making a statement at his own biography in this story in that his later writings or “dead letters” were unpopular at the time, but even so Bartleby is depressed. Depression is a bigger issue than it was. Today’s numbers show that about 70% of the workforce is unhappy with their job or feel disconnected, and for Bartleby, that lead straight to depression. There are several factors to what causes depression. Genes can affect the risk of depression. People who have had a history of depression in their family are at a much higher risk of depression. In fact, people who have a family member have a 2 to 3 greater risk of depression (Levinson). Siblings or children of people with recurring depression have run the risk of depression 4 to 5 times higher than the average person. However, people do not just simply inherit depression from their parents. There are a multiple genes that affect depression, and since each person has a unique makeup, depression isn’t just inherited. There are other factors too (Levinson). Other factors that can cause depression are biochemical environment, personal experience and psychologica... ... middle of paper ... ... pointed out by Melville Bartleby’s whole life is his job, but he quickly loses interest in that too and sinks into depression. This is still a common experience today. About 9 percent of adults in America struggle with depression (Current Depression among Adults). Depression is quickly becoming a widespread epidemic. The question is, do we live a society that causes depression? Depression trends have definitely gone up over time, and there could be several factors to this. Recently with the technology age we are constantly bombarded as a society by perfectionism. Often the media presents goals for our lives in the form of celebrities that we can never attain. As one author puts it “Media-saturation celebrates unattainable superstar lifestyles and airbrushed perfection, so that social comparisons are no longer local and realistic.” (A Depression Inducing Society?)
People one can never really tell how person is feeling or what their situation is behind closed doors or behind the façade of the life they lead. Two masterly crafted literary works present readers with characters that have two similar but very different stories that end in the same result. In Herman Melville’s story “Bartleby the Scrivener” readers are presented with Bartleby, an interesting and minimally deep character. In comparison to Gail Godwin’s work, “A Sorrowful Woman” we are presented with a nameless woman with a similar physiological state as Bartleby whom expresses her feelings of dissatisfaction of her life. Here, a deeper examination of these characters their situations and their ultimate fate will be pursued and delved into for a deeper understanding of the choice death for these characters.
America's fixation on happiness is the true disease, not sadness. American society pushes happiness on us from the moment we are born, it corrupts our perception of how beneficial sadness can be. Sadness is a necessary evil, if individuals do not experience sadness they cannot appreciate happiness truly. That is not to say that depression is not real but from experience, all I need, still, is a little time. I lost my best friend Sam in a drunk driving accident almost two years ago, even now two years later I am still heartbroken, still sad. Losing someone is hard and you do not get over a death of someone who was a big part of your life so easily. I have not recovered completely, nor do I think I ever will but I keep moving forward cherishing every day I have, even the bad ones. Going through this grief, whether it be through the loss of a loved one or the heartbreak of an ended relationship, it shows us that we are strong and we can prevail through times of darkness, all we need is time. In the end, it leaves us with a stronger character, sense of self-worth, and a new outlook on the life we take for granted. Sadness is very much an "integral place in the great rhythm of the cosmos" because without sadness we would not be
Bartleby demonstrates behaviours indicative of depression, the symptoms he has in accordance with the DSM-IV are a loss of interest in activities accompanied by a change in appetite, sleep, and feelings of guilt (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, 320). Very shortly after Bartleby begins his work as a Scrivener he is described by the narrator as having done “nothing but stand at his window in his dead-wall revery”. (Melville, 126) In contrast, Bartleby had previously been described as a very hard worker and this process of doing increasingly less shows how his a diminishing sense of interest both in his work but also of the perception others have of him. It is also noted that included in this lack of interest is a social withdrawal (DSM—IV, 321) which corresponds well to Bartleby in that his workspace becomes known as his “hermitage”. During small talk which included Bartleby he says that he “would prefer to be left alone”. (Melville, 120) Bartleby only emerges from his hermitage when called upon and quickly returns when faced with confrontation.
Depression is the most common of all psychological disorders. It effects more than 100 million people worldwide. Between 8 and 18% of the general population will experience depression in their lifetime. Research has proved that in any 6-month period, 8% of woman, and 4% of men are likely to be diagnosed with some form of depression. Hirshfield and Goodwin (1988) say that as many as 15% of severely depressed individuals eventually kill themselves.
It is not common knowledge, but people can be genetically predisposed to develop depression during their lives. Depression runs in families. It can be passed d...
The exact causes of depression seem to differ immensely, but there are some who believe that it maybe caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, or that it may even be hereditary. Still there are others who believe that it is a combination of social, biological, emotional, psychological, and economical influences that may cause someone who has no family history of depression to develop even a mild case of depression.
Strong evidence suggests that clinical depression runs in families. Still, just because a person has family members with clinical depression does not guarantee that he or she will develop it. Similarly, you may get it even if no one else in your family has had it. People with high levels of stress are much more likely to develop depression that those who do not. Though most people go through a "down" period after a particularly stressful event like a divorce or death of a loved one, sometimes extremely difficult stresses can trigger depressive episodes in certain people who are susceptible to the illness.
Depression is much more common than most people think. Because it is essentially an invisible illness and is largely in the mind, it is difficult to correctly diagnose it and most people suffer for months, years, or even decades with depression. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines depression as “a mood disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty with thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or an attempt to commit suicide.” Most medical definitions are able to explain what happens and why it does, but after carefully examining this one, we only notice that it explains what happens, but not why. Usually, the symptoms of an illness are...
Depression is defined as "a state of despondency marked by feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness" (Coon, 2001). Some people can mix up depression with just having the blues because of a couple of bad days or even weeks. It is already said that depression affects about one sixth of the population or more (Doris, Ebmeier, Shajahan, 1999). Depression can happen in any age range from birth to death. The cause of depression is still obscure and becoming clear that a number of diverse factors are likely to be implicated, both genetic and environmental. Some causes are leading stressful lives, genetic factors, a previous depressive episode, and the personality trait neuroticism (Doris, et al., 1999).
Depression is defined as being in a state of sadness or unhappiness. Doctors do not know the exact causes of depression, but they believe it’s chemical changes in the brain. All ages, races, and ethnic groups can experience depression. Most people who do experience it need treatment to get better. Many famous women have also battled with depression. Actress Ashley Judd, model Paulina Porizkova, Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, singer and actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and singer and actress Demi Lovato. Demi Lovato had an eating disorder at the age of eight and started cutting at the age of eleven. She was bullied for being ‘fat’ so she used to overeat to cope, which turned into a lifelong struggle with food. In 2010 she had an altercation with one of her background dancers and decided to leave the Jonas Brothers Tour. After that, she decided to check into a mental facility. Today, she still battles with depression, her eating disorder, and alcohol abuse but is learning to get better. Depression is not overrated and should be taken seriously as a mental illness.
The story of Bartleby was a very interesting story open for many different interpretations. Melville does and excellent job building suspension towards different thoughts as to what caused Bartleby to become an emotionless incapable worker. Here is evidence throughout the story to reflect the kindheartedness of the narrator. After reading this work the last quote “Ah Bartleby, Ah humanity” stood out as a cry of sadness for failing to understand and further assist Bartleby. After the numerous attempts He describes himself an elder lawyer that has his own office with a total of four employees including Bartleby. The narrator takes the time to learn the qualities of each individual not just on a performance basis however, personally as well.
“Bartleby, the Scrivener” uses symbolism to criticize capitalism. “Bartleby the Scrivener” is “A Story of Wall Street” and uses a building next to wall street as the setting. The building is described as a very depressing building, which, “of week-days hums with industry and life, at nightfall echoes with sheer vacancy, and all through Sunday is forlorn.” Melville first attacks capitalism by symbolizing his characters as victims of the corporate world. First it starts off by showing the miserable, yet humorous lives of Turkey and Nippers. Turkey and Nippers both have to work the entire day, but neither of them can fully operate for the entire day of work. Turkey works well in the morning, where “his face was of fine florid hue”. However, from noon to the end of the day Turkey is exhausted after drinking where he “blazed like a grate full of Christmas coals; and continued blazing—but, as it were, with a gradual wane”. Nippers is the exact opposite. Nippers poor behavior was, “ma...
Depression can affect anyone, being rich, poor, young, old, race, or religion (D-1). Because depression is a medical condition dealing with the functioning of brain chemicals and emotion, that make any person susceptible. Common causes for depression include death, romance divorce, or moving (D-2). Pain is caused from a displeasure from something that is important to the person suffering. Divorce rates are rising, making it no surprise that people are suffering due to a relationship problem. Being overweight can be a degrading trait, especially to teens and young adults because of them importance of appearance (D-3). Obesity in America is becoming more prevalent, therefore making the chance of depression and suicide much higher for many more pe...
Depression can negatively affect the way a person feels, thinks, and acts. This is why being depressed can have a negative effect on a persons’ academics. The person may not be able to effectively answer questions on tests and exams because they are overcome with a great sense of sadness. Thus, they could fail even though they might have studied because their mind was warped due to the depression. Social media can play a big part in a lot of teens depression because of the content on these sites. Things like cyberbullying which is one of the leading causes of depression is ever present on social media sites. Although students may not be depressed by using social media themselves they might become this way by seeing those who are depressed spread their emotions across social media. According to De Choudhury who is an assistant professor at Georgia Institute of Technology,” Major Depressive Disorder is characterized by episodes of all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. It is also well-established that people suffering from MDD tend to focus their attention on unhappy and unflattering information” (1). This gives evidence on how being depressed can have a bad impact on students’ performance because instead of feeling motivated to do well in school and achieve greatness, the
Depression affects everyone. According to Psychology Information Online, women are more at risk for depression. This is due to factors that are directly related to women such as reproductive, hormonal, genetic or other biological factors; abuse and oppression; interpersonal factors; and certain psychological and personality characteristics. In general, it has been found that people who have low self-esteem, who consistently view themselves and the world with pessimism, or who are readily overwhelmed by stress are more prone to depression. Psychologists often describe social learning factors as being significant in the development of depression, as well as other psychological problems. A serious loss, chronic illness, relationship problems, work stress, family crisis, financial setback, or any unwelc...