Herman Melville’s story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street” is told from the perspective of an elderly lawyer who oversees his employees in his law office. Although the narrator means well, he can never seem to help anyone around him. People must act accordingly to certain concepts of humanness to fully benefit others. The major example of this is the newly hired Bartleby, who gives the narrator much grief over his duties at the office. Bartleby also almost seems to be a ghost, haunting the office. Throughout the story, what little life he seems to have gradually fades away. Losing the concept of humanness can eventually lead to the deterioration of the person. Bartleby losing himself is a tragedy towards humanity for the narrator.
The narrator is an interesting character because of how much he tries to hide from conflict and keep complications his life. One example of this is: “I am a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is best,” (600). This is probably why he chose to focus on the monetary aspect of the law. The narrator claims that he is “one of those unambitious lawyers who never addresses a jury, or in any way draws down public applause,” (600). The Narrator, it seems, tends to like to stay behind the scenes with his work. He does not need the approval of the public for his work. The Narrator also claims himself to be a “safe” man (600). The Narrator believes himself to be an honest, hardworking man who avoids trouble at all costs.
The Narrator’s employees are interesting characters as well. Turkey, an elderly scrivener, seems to want to brown nose to the Narrator. He is heavy-set and not well dressed. When speaking with the Narrator, he often says “with submission, sir…” (602). Turkey seems to be very productive in the office during the morning hours, but has a huge temper in the afternoons. The complement to Turkey is Nippers. Nippers is twenty-five year-old man that is sallow and piratical in appearance. He is ambitious ad has indigestion, meaning that he is hard working in the afternoon yet very temperamental in the morning. He is well-dressed and looks good for the office. The two scriveners seem to complement each other in age, appearance, and how they work. It should be said that overall they are both unproductive for the office. The Narrator goes with this flow of the office because he does not desire to deal with his employees.
The most interesting character and the subject of the Narrator’s story is Bartleby. It is unclear Bartleby’s age or where he came from. He is, at first, an excellent copyist. Bartleby prefers to do no other work. He refuses to leave the office, living there with the very few possessions kept in his make-shift office. Bartleby appears to be emotionless and refuses to speak unless spoken to. It is rumored that Bartleby worked at the Dead Letter office in Washington DC, but his true history was never revealed.
The Narrator seems to unsuccessfully try to help others. Although his intentions are good, the Narrator is unable to use his giving nature effectively. The first example of this is when the Narrator tries to give Turkey the new coat. After his plan fails, the Narrator says that, “I thought Turkey would appreciate the favor, and abate his rashness and obstreperousness of afternoons. But no.” (603). The Narrator most likely offended Turkey by giving him the coat is such a cold way. The Narrator’s main intent was to improve the office, not exactly help Turkey. This is a foreshadowing of his abilities to help the mysterious Bartleby. Although Bartleby prefers to do no work for the office, the Narrator is unwilling to confront him. Instead, he complies with Bartleby’s uncooperativeness. The Narrator then moves on to the strategy of trying to avoid the problem. The Narrator both moves offices and claims no responsibility for him. Once the Narrator realizes they are linked together, he tries to offer Bartleby other jobs and a place in his own home. Bartleby refuses all help and ends up in the New York jail, where he dies.
Bartleby slowly wastes away throughout the story. During his stay in the office, he ate very little except ginger-nuts. He rarely spoke to anyone and did not do anything asked. Bartleby also had an unhealthy attachment to the office. He refused to leave, even when he was kicked out. Only the jail was able to keep him away. It is in the jail where Bartleby gives up and dies.
The story had repetitions of death and religion all throughout. The idea of death seemed to revolve around the jail and Bartleby. The jail is often called the Tombs and the Narrator mentions a suicide that recently happened in the jail. Bartleby is described as thin and pale like a ghost. Also, the Dead Letters Bartleby handled was connected to dead men by the Narrator. The Narrator made religious connections to events in the story. When Bartleby first refuses to do work, the Narrator feels he is turned into a “pillar of salt” (606). The Narrator quotes the verse: “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another” from John 13:34 (618). Another example is Bartleby’s death. The Narrator quotes Job 3:14: With kings and counselors” (625).
The narrator is unable to save Bartleby from his demise. Bartleby slowly slips away after the office is taken from him. Bartleby may have found his safe haven from the Dead Letters that seemed to haunt him.
Bartleby is certainly an interesting character. He seems as if though he is a ghost, and one has to question- is that because of his previous position? His job was to read and burn the "dead letters", or letters that had been sent to those who died. This could have caused him some sort of emotional distress, or leaving him completely emotionally bereft. For a long time he wishes to write the letters (or make copies), but he "prefers not" to read them.
ReplyDeleteSomething else that I found interesting was all of the references to FOOD in the story; so much so that two of the characters are named after food (Turkey and Ginger Nut). I'm not sure what kind of significance it holds, but it seems relevant.
I think y'all covered just about everything in your analysis. Something I thought was interesting was how long it took the narrator to do something about Bartleby. It's almost as if he just wanted to see how long it would take until he "perferred" to do something. The narrator tells himself that if Bartleby tells him that he "prefers not to" do something this time, then he is done (I can't find what page this is on now, sorry). However, when Bartleby refuses to do the work, the narrator just seems stumped but doesn't act on it.
ReplyDeleteI found the narrator's perspective very interesting in this story. The narrator being Bartleby's employer is intriguing because it gives the reader a chance to see the perspective of someone who is directly affected by Bartleby's laziness. Could he have exaggerated things that occurred or possibly altered them to make himself look better? This is something you have to take into account while reading the story.
ReplyDeleteI believe there is alot of information hidden within the references to the bible passages. The narrator doesn't truly understand how to care for an individual. He mistakes his physical contributions to others as simpathy. His form of care is too cold and offers no true form of comfort for others. The lawyer never takes a risk to connect with any of the characters. I think this why the passages are present to hint at a higher card in play.
ReplyDeleteGood analysis! I like that you covered so much of the story.
ReplyDeleteSomething I thought was interesting was the story's being set on Wall Street. The office appears to symbolize the entire world of business, and the obsessive and degenerative affect it has on Bartleby alludes to the shift from traditional working values to the more intense ones we practice today that Americans in the mid-nineteenth century were adopting. I thought the story was the author's critique of this shift and the negative affects it appeared to be having on people.
While Bartleby is such a strange character, we don't learn much about him till the end. What I think is more revealing is the relationship between Bartleby and the narrator. We know that the narrator prefers "the easiest way in life" so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he lets Bartleby's strange attitude control him. Once Bartleby stopped working any other employer would have fired him and then called the police to have him remove but our narrator seems to have some sympathy for him. Even though he is sympathetic he can't convey it to Bartleby. He offers money and just continues to ask him to leave. Instead of this he could have asked about his past, previous jobs, offered to let him stay with him, anything to make a connection. Instead Bartleby dies alone and the narrator realizes that he knows nothing of the man who sat behind a screen in the same room with him for quite a while.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis and the comments posted sum up my thoughts well. The narrator prefers "the easiest way in life" but I do not think that the choices he made were the easiest solutions. Avoiding conflict and later moving offices to avoid confrontation seem ridiculous. Someone also mentioned that he spoke of himself as being sympathetic and compassionate, but I think he was just telling himself that to make himself feel better. His actions were not one of compassion (to me), but avoidance.
ReplyDeleteGood job on a difficult story. One thing that I found interesting is that considering Bartleby's previous job at the "Dead Letter Office" he is initially willing to copy documents and create letters but "prefers not" to read them, although he is eventually unwilling to do even that. Another thing, continuing from what Alesha said, is the narrator's declared goal of following the easiest path. Would it not have been easier to call the police and have Bartleby removed? Maybe he does the thing that is easiest on his conscience?
ReplyDeleteThis was definitely a hard nut to crack. Bartleby is one of those ambiguous characters that can be read anyway you like, thus I focused on the narrator who at first glance seems to be a non-confrontational, generous and hard-working elderly man. Under further inspection I decided he was a condescending, selfish, self-righteous coward. Although Bartelby is not the vey best employee, he is a person and the narrator treated him like a personal entertainment center. The narrator does seem to come around to the light by the time Bartleby goes to the Tombs, but its too late. He never really gives of himself to anyone even though he leads you to believe he cares. All in all, the dedicates himself to his "easy path" while making the reader believe he is a wholesome person that unfortunately can not save Bartleby from his own demise.
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your analysis of the story.
One thing that did not make sense to me was Bartleby's blatant disregard for any order his boss gave him. He would say he would rather not to every order the narrator gives him. I would never think to say that ever to my boss, so I did not understand what was going on with Bartleby. Did he just not care if he got fired or what? That's just something I thought while reading the story that I did not get.