Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” is an interesting story,
to say the least. I would first like to note the style in which Melville writes
this piece. The author tastefully chooses to write his piece using many
descriptive details. By doing so, the story seems to be more drawn out, as
every person is described in great detail. The setting is also described in detail
and events are described colorfully throughout the story. Melville's writing style in this piece is
similar to that of Hawthorne and Cooper, but it differs greatly from Poe's style. All that
said, I would like to focus on certain characters and their motives throughout
this piece. Specifically, the narrator, a lawyer, seems to have no reason to
feel allegiance toward Bartleby when Bartleby defies the lawyer's requests. Yet,
Bartleby’s curious demeanor and harmless nature drives the narrator to take
pity on this character. As a result, even when Bartleby begins to mentally and
physically deteriorate, the narrator does what he can to accommodate and take
care of this man. Though the lawyer's actions are kind, I found it bizarre
that the lawyer would accommodate Bartleby after all the frustration he has
caused the lawyer. After all, Bartleby has refused to do various tasks, which
has caused stress and anger in the other scriveners. However, the narrator
seems to have some emotional attachment to Bartleby, as he seems to pity the
man who seemingly has nowhere else to live and nobody else to live off of.
Bartleby is another character whose actions I feel should be
heavily scrutinized. Though Ginger Nut, Turkey and Nippers all seem to be
quirky characters, all these men do as their boss tells them. For this reason,
these men become frustrated when Bartleby respectfully tells the lawyer he
would "prefer not to" do the work he is assigned. Bartleby strikes the reader as quite odd and rather off. He not only declines working for the lawyer, but he
seems to live out of his office and he eats very little. Though it is explained
that Bartleby began as a fantastic scrivener, he seems to lack the obedience skills
and desire to work that could make him incredibly successful in this business.
It seems as if by the end of the story that Bartleby simply has lost the desire
to live. He seems defeated and he suffers mental, emotional and physical defeat. Though the
lawyer has Bartleby thrown in jail, he ensures that Bartleby will be fed well
and treated correctly. But why does the lawyer care so much about a man who has
caused him more bad than good? The answer is unknown, but the ending of the
story reveals that Bartleby worked at a Dead Letter office, a downright
depressing place to work. Perhaps it was his time at that job that forced
Bartleby to lose his desire to live.
Bartleby's actions do indeed deserve scrutiny, as they indicate the strange relationship of power that develops between him and his employer. Though the latter should, by the elevation of his office, hold sway over most actions of his employees, Bartleby, through mere refusal, defies this power dynamic. Indeed, one might say that he even creates a new sort of relationship, one that places him above his employer. Bartleby is, for much of the short story, left to his own devices, doing as he pleases. This, however, raises the question of what Bartleby actually wishes to do. If one posits the idea that he does not really wish to do anything but subsist, his passively earned position of power means almost nothing. This is the conclusion I have reached, though I must say that the story's conclusion leaves me with little to grasp at.
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