Marxist Analysis Of Bartleby The Scrivener

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A Marxist Analysis Herman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener illustrates the story of the working man’s estranged condition in capitalist society. Examining language, capitalist structure, and the totality of alienation and its place in capitalist society, Bartleby is a story of Wall Street, proletariat sacrifices, and about a man named Bartleby who would prefer not to work. With powerful social issues called into question and a focus on work and class relations, Bartleby is a story of Wall Street and its imposing superstructure on wage workers and their mentality, thus a Marxist perspective would serve the themes and content of Bartleby well. An unnamed Wall Street lawyer is the narrator of Bartleby. His tale subtitled “A Story of Wall Street,” introduces the reader to his firm and employees—known only by their nicknames: Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut—and to Bartleby the scrivener. From the beginning, the workers of Wall Street have their identities stripped so that none of the characters enjoy full and proper names, names that would indicate individuality. Even the successful bourgeoisie narrator is known simply by his profession the lawyer or by his role as narrator. Bartleby, too, is first addressed by his profession: “the strangest [scrivener] I ever saw” instead of being a person; “scrivener” has become the name that defines him and makes sense of him for others. It is as if without this his existence cannot be acknowledged. However, Bartleby and the Narrator are not the only two characters stripped of their individuality. Ginger Nut is called by that name as he is the provider of food for the office workers and he is only as important as far as he accomplishes his task. His individuality and personality are left unnoticed... ... middle of paper ... ...through his haunting refusals had reclaimed his humanity in the end in the eyes of the bourgeoisie. It is noteworthy to state that in the final line Bartleby is not regarded by his identity as a scrivener but in union with humanity (“Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity!”). By revolting against the structure, Bartleby was able to realign himself to his individuality. Thus Herman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener tells the story of the proletariats’ dehumanizing conditions in capitalist society. Through the examples given through language, capitalist structure, and the totality of alienation and its place in capitalist society, Bartleby is a story of Wall Street, proletariat sacrifices, and about a man named Bartleby who through his refusal to sacrifice himself to the structure by remaining an automaton has superseded the structure and regained his identity as simply Bartleby.

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