“Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story Of Wall-Street” is a story with many different elements of literature. The author explores the use of choice, chilling isolation, and diverse linguistic phrases to create an intense atmosphere of theme and morality. Melville constantly shows Bartleby's refusal of conforming to society through the profound theme. This is the theme of choice. Choice is one of the major parts of the book because it is frequently used with Bartleby, a new employee to the narrator's company. Bartleby first exhibits the use of choice when the narrator politely asks Bartleby to proofread his rough-draft. Bartleby uses this defiance at the first part of the story. He beings to show his true colors to the narrator and the readers. …show more content…
Language is the key, crucial part of this short story. Bartleby, the epitome of mystery and frustration in the office, constantly uses the term ‘I prefer not to’, to exhibit his unwillingness to comply with his boss's requests to proofread his rough draft. “The very language that Bartleby uses as he puts aside the tasks demanded of him shows the extent of to which he does not participate in the conventions of the Wall Street World” (Matturi, 7). Many people would agree that the theme is a very compelling and ambiguous part of this short story. The choice aspect is a big part because many of the characters can make choices that can manipulate the way the story goes. The isolation part is the way that Bartleby presents himself, and the way that he speaks change the game as well. What would it be like if Bartleby was open to society instead of closed off? What if Bartleby did comply instead of resisting? Corbin 3 These are all of the questions that the reader ask themselves throughout the book. The author paints this intellectual and overwhelming picture of society, for the readers to carefully analyze throughout the whole
In Melville’s, “Bartleby the Scrivener,” a lawyer’s idea of relationships is tested. As a bachelor, his disconnection with people is an obstacle he has to overcome. The relationships between his coworkers and himself are simple and detached until Bartleby is introduced. The lawyer is befuddled at the unique behavior that this character displays and cannot help but take particular interest in him. When Bartleby is asked to work, he simply says, “I would prefer not to,” and when he quits working, he begins to stare at the wall (1112). This wall may symbolize the wall that the lawyer has built up in an attempt to ward off relationships, or it may simple symbolize Wall Street. When the lawyer finds out that Bartleby is l...
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.
In Herman Melville's short story, Bartleby, the Scrivener, the narrator's attitude towards Bartleby is constantly changing, the narrator's attitude is conveyed through the author's use of literary elements such as; diction-descriptive and comical, point of view-first person, and tone-confusion and sadness.
Herman Melville uses a first person point of view to show the narrator’s first hand fascination with his employee Bartleby, as well as Bartleby’s strange behavior and insubordination.
In the short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” which was written by Herman Melville, the character named Bartleby is a very odd, yet interesting individual. In the story, Bartleby is introduced when he responds to a job opening at the narrator’s office. Although there is no background information given about him, it becomes very apparent that he will be the antagonist in this story. Unlike the usual image put on the antagonist, Bartleby causes conflict with a very quiet and calm temperament. This character’s attitude, along with the fact that he is a flat and static character, makes him a very unique antagonist, and this fact is shown through the way other characters approach and deal with his conflict.
He starts to disconnect himself by refusing to do work given to him by his boss, this comes from his desire to be complacent, which we find out when he says “I like to be stationary,” when talking to the lawyer (127). Bartleby continues to change throughout the story, as he goes from being an employee who won’t do his work, to never leaving the office and essentially making it his home. According to Todd Giles, “Bartleby's silence establishes distance,” meaning that he becomes so out of place that people stop expecting of him (Giles, 2007). What this causes is the need for Bartleby to be removed from the Wall Street Office. The lawyer tries in many different ways to do so, and even offers him more money than he is owed if he will quit. Bartleby refuses and continues to stay in the building, doing nothing, detached from the world around him. Eventually the lawyer changes offices due to Bartleby and leaves him there for the next buyer. Bartleby is forced out by the new owner, and in time it is told the police he is a vagrant and he is thrown into jail. Bartleby’s story ends
... authors conclude that it is through alienation within a small society that ultimately leads to the primary characters’ demise and death. Whether their individual cases are self imposed or externally imposed, the results and the impact are the same, annihilation of the human soul. Their craft make emphatic use of setting to the successful depiction of this theme. Both characters ultimately fall into the abyss of loneliness and despair proving that human existence cut-off and on its own is more destructive than positive . Thus their message seems to suggest that as humans, we need society in order to truly belong and have a connection, purpose and worth in this life, in order to truly live.
Bartleby- The Scrivener In Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener”, the author uses several themes to convey his ideas. The three most important themes are alienation, man’s desire to have a free conscience, and man’s desire to avoid conflict. Melville uses the actions of an eccentric scrivener named Bartleby, and the responses of his cohorts, to show these underlying themes to the reader. The first theme, alienation, is displayed best by Bartleby’s actions. He has a divider put up so that the other scriveners cannot see him, while all of them have desks out in the open so they are full view of each other, as well as the narrator. This caused discourse with all of the others in the office. This is proven when Turkey exclaims, “ I think I’ll just step behind his screen and black his eyes for him.”(p.2411) The other scriveners also felt alienated by the actions of the narrator. His lack of resolve when dealing with Bartleby angered them because they knew that if they would have taken the same actions, they would have been dismissed much more rapidly. The narrator admits to this when he said, “ With any other man I should have flown outright into a dreadful passion, scorned all further words, and thrust him ignominiously from my presence.” (2409) The next theme is man’s desire to avoid conflict. The narrator avoids conflict on several occasions. The first time Bartleby refused to proofread a paper, the narrator simply had someone else do it instead of confronting him and re...
The infamous ending statement in Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener,” “Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!” (Melville 34), signifies not only the tragic demise of the character of Bartleby, but the dismal ruin of mankind as well. This enigmatic statement can be applied to both “Bartleby the Scrivener” and Melville’s other short story, “Benito Cereno.” Both stories are narrated by unreliable characters, leaving further questions on whether or not the Lawyer was genuinely trying to help Bartleby when he showed signs of depression or if the one-sided story of Captain Delano truly portrayed the slaves and their motives for taking over Cereno’s San Dominick. In each of Melville’s short stories, there is an obvious grayness about each tale, the plots of both stories start out slow and unsuspicious, but are then revealed through a dynamic change in events, and each novella has ultimate realities that are hidden through appearances. Together, “Bartleby the Scrivener” and “Benito Cereno” are stories that possess a deep meaning within them which is intended to make the reader question the definition of human nature.
This book teaches the importance of self-expression and independence. If we did not have these necessities, then life would be like those in this novel. Empty, redundant, and fearful of what is going on. The quotes above show how different life can be without our basic freedoms. This novel was very interesting and it shows, no matter how dismal a situation is, there is always a way out if you never give up, even if you have to do it alone.
The first case on which I have found Bartleby portrayed in this fashion is when the lawyer describes Bartleby’s work ethic. The lawyer says, “At first, Bartleby did an extraordinary quantity of writing. As if long famishing for something to copy, he seemed to gorge himself on my documents.” (Melville 108) This really shows just how alone Bartleby really is. Bartleby’s j...
While the lawyer is continuously awakened by Bartleby’s action of refusing life, the lawyer comes to realize the true meaning of life. Where the lawyer represents the world of surface, Bartleby represents the opposition which is the world above. The lawyer thinks that Bartleby is a “last column of some ruined temple” in the land of capitalism, Wall Street (54). Similar to Norman’s interoperation of Wall Street, it is very logical to say that Wall Street symbolizes the heart of capitalism. In this sense, Bartleby is the last column of a ruined temple of heaven which is destroyed by wicked earth, the capitalism. Bartleby’s humiliated and yet firm resistance expresses a religious aspect of faith that is created by hardships. Bartleby’s action
My conclusion, then, is that the lawyer strays from the zone of comfort to only lead him back to it. For instance, he does not try to understand Bartleby through Bartleby’s perspective, but he wants to understand who Bartleby is so that Bartleby will conform to the way he is. The lawyer’s empathy that he shows towards Bartleby is not a genuine display for Bartleby, but as a selfish way to restore the order in which he does not have to deal with this conflict.
Melville uses his literal element of setting to help draw in the audience and uses it to paint an image of this emptiness of modern business life. He carefully gives us descriptions of the setting to ease our way into the theme of victimization within the workplace which leads us to the portrayal dehumanization. The narrator and Bartleby’s office is “…an unobstructed view of a lofty brick wall, black by age and everlasting shade, which wall required no spyglass to bring out its lurking beauties…” (Melville 4). However, Bartleby was placed in the corner of this office room, up against a small side window which gave him little to no view at all. There was also a folding screen that “…entirely isolate[d] Bartleby… And thus, in a manner, privacy and society were conjoined” (Melville 9).We can see Bartleby being isolated from his surroundings. This gives us a hint of this victimization in the workplace which leads to Bartleby’s self-isolation. However, Melville constructs an even deeper meaning into this setting when describing the outskirts of W...
Therefore, it is not hard to hypothesize that “Bartleby the Scrivener” was based on actual events in his life, or that the character was based on a real person the author had known. The use of the literary elements that are used in this story express many ideas and helps the reader get a better idea on how the narrator felt toward Bartleby. Melville expressed his impression that isolation is like a death of the human spirit and is very well used in this story by the characters and the setting. In this particular short story, Melville tries to convey the reader that people must not isolate and seclude themselves like Bartleby did in the