The Lawyer and the Pandhandler in "Bartleby the Scrivener" by Herman Melville

In the story of Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville, there is a lawyer who narrates the entire story. He owns his own law practice and also has an assortment of scribes who work for him. The first scrivener, named Turkey, was a hard worker until 12 o’ clock noon daily. Following that time, his work begins to diminish. The second, who they called Nippers, was the complete opposite. He worked best during the afternoon and evening hours. Lastly, Bartleby didn’t do much work at all. He was lazy, he had nothing to lose, and he understood how to take advantage of someone else’s kindness. The rest of the workers are just stuck in the “Rat Race”, so they are dependent upon their jobs to support families, and they know how to work hard for their earnings. Those other people also have been taught to avoid conflict with the people in charge at all costs.

The beginning of the story demonstrates Bartleby’s unwillingness to comply with his boss’s orders. Bartleby is getting paid for doing nothing. “I prefer not to” he says. He is stubborn and lazy but he manages to not provoke the boss when...