The Role of Food

“Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street,” is one of Melville’s most perplexing and intricate works. Despite its alleged complexity, it is a compelling story to read. Many mysteries and unanswered questions seem to surround Herman Melville’s story. Literary symbols extend meaning beyond the prosaic representation of realities. Food plays a role symbolically in the story, as it is one of the many things that stand out to the narrator. In a story where materialism plays a significant role, food symbolizes personality, the fulfilments of needs and the representation of compassion.

To begin with, Melville uses foods to describe characters based on their consumption. The nicknames Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut were mutually approved upon, as “expressive of their respective persons or characters” (2). They make reference to foods to be ingested even though, the food itself is not as important as its effects. After twelve o’clock, Turkey becomes unpleasant and “blazed like a grate full of Christmas coals; and continued blazing—but, as it were, with a gradual wane—till 6 o’clock,” (2). His moodiness, however, was most likely the result of his soul becoming tired and bored of his repetitive work. After dinner, Turkey’s meal encourages him so that he feels no urge to work. On the contrary, Nippers, before getting into daily routine, is overwhelmed with “the two evil powers, ambition and indigestion” (3), added to his “grinning irritability” (3). The errand –boy, Ginger Nut received his nickname due to his love of nuts and his duty of fetching the ginger-cake. One of his titles at the office was "cake and apple purveyor of business" (5). When the other two workers Nippers and Turkey wanted to moisten their mouth with a slice,...

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...e story through the names and much of the word choice calls to mind eating, or consumption. Bartleby, who prefers not to deal with these things, is ultimately killed by food, or rather, the lack of it. To look at this from a materialistic point of view, the people of this story are all deprived of some basic necessity, and are searching for it through food. The need for emotion, for a real connection beyond work or social details that none seem to have in Wall Street is entailed. Due to Bartleby’s sorrow and loneliness which are deeply felt by the narrator, instead of psychologically helping Bartleby, the narrator focuses on Bartleby’s diet, and rationalizes that the best way to help him is through money for food and a place to stay. Consequently, these items ultimately will not help Bartleby because he is starving for something less tangible than material comforts.