...Melvin’s Bartleby the Scrivener tells the story of a new employee of a Law Firm on Wall Street. Everything in this story embodies my fear of my future profession. A scrivener is someone who serves as a scribe. Bartleby is a new scribe to this law firm and works day and night handwriting copies of legal documents. The lawyer describes Bartleby as an excellent worker whose work output is tremendous. Along with Bartleby are 3 other employees. Turkey is another scrivener who is described by the lawyer as being excellent in the morning; however, as the day goes on he becomes less efficient and more prone to making mistakes. Nipper is a second scrivener who is simply described as a young ambitious man and a steady worker. Ginger Nut is a young errand boy whose primary role is going to pick up ginger nut cakes. Bartleby continues to work day and night to producing perfect copies of legal documents pleasing the lawyer greatly. One day, the lawyer comes in asking Bartleby to examine a document and Bartleby responds to his plea with “I’d prefer not to.” The lawyer is baffled with this response and delegates the work to Nipper. Bartleby continues to repeat this phrase when delegated task to the point he is not getting any work done. The lawyer realizes Bartleby has been living in his office for weeks. He discovers that Bartleby has no family, friends, nor a life outside of his employment. The lawyer is forced to terminate Bartleby’s employment and asks him to leave, yet Bartleby again says...
Words: 876 - Pages: 4
...In “Bartleby, the Scrivener”, Herman Melville tells a tale about Bartleby, who works for a law office and abruptly refuses to write. When the narrator, the boss, asks for the reason, all Bartleby says is “I would prefer not to”. The narrator migrates his office to get rid of Bartleby after a long stretch of thought. Toward the end of the story, Bartleby refuses to eat and starves himself to death in prison. In spite of the fact that Bartleby is dead, his soul is still alive as the narrator is spooked by his otherworldly pride and is at battle with the standards of equity and profound quality of the rest of his life. Bartleby is a saint. He not only exhibits his braveness by going up against the unreasonable society, utilizing his self-control,...
Words: 1399 - Pages: 6
...Alyssa Rife AP Lit 1 8-27-13 “Bartleby, the Scrivener” is a short story about a lawyer who employs a copyist, named Bartleby, who works diligently for a few days, but then begins to refuse to comply with any of the requests that the lawyer makes. Level One- At what time of the day were Nippers and Turkey at their worst and best behaved? Level Two- What are the effects of Bartleby’s behavior on the other characters as the story progresses? Level Three- At the end of the story, the lawyer hints that Bartleby’s behavior may have been linked to his past work. What is the emotional impact of working with death on a person? 2.) The lawyer is the most impacted by Bartleby’s behavior. Not only does it fascinate him, but it leaves him questioning what he should do about the passive resistant man that refuses to do anything he asks. Throughout the story, the lawyer feels a variety of emotions towards Bartleby; including sympathy, pity, frustration, and resentment. He feels sympathy and pity towards the copyists when he realizes that he is living in the office, and only eating ginger nuts. But when the copyist refuses to accept help from the lawyer or continue to copy documents, the lawyer begins to feel a sense of frustration. He doesn’t want to put Bartleby out on the streets without a place to stay, but he also does not want to be made a fool of. 3.) The lawyer mentions a rumor he heard about Bartleby that said he worked in the Dead Letter Office in Washington before he came...
Words: 453 - Pages: 2
...Bartleby has been noted to be a millstone, pale, and unmoving man that worked as a scrivener. If the words used to describe his character hadn’t tipped you off, Bartleby is not the best employee. He would often reply, “I would prefer not to” when asked to complete most tasks, he was allowed to reside in the office. The narrator does quite frequently contemplate the ways in which he can get Bartleby to leave; however, he rarely acts on them. On the occasions where the narrator does choose to act on a plan to rid himself of Bartleby he rarely follows through. In the end Bartleby would be allowed to stay in the office. On page 16 this is seen at a height, the narrator leaves his office based on Bartleby’s request. The whole idea that this would occur seems slightly ridiculous. What is it about Bartleby that he is able to have this affect on the narrator? At first it made sense that some leniency would be given to Bartleby. The narrator stated, “I felt my most precious papers perfectly safe in his hands.” This suggests that, in the beginning at least, Bartleby was able to create quality copies. Therefore, at first giving into his, “I would prefer not to”, replies was not so bad. The other copiers were able to read through the papers and run, as Bartleby would have. However, after a while Bartleby stops copying. By the time he should be able to copy again, he still refused. On page 21 the narrator does tell Bartleby that in six days he is supposed to be gone. When that sixth day come...
Words: 823 - Pages: 4
...The Lottery and Bartleby, the Scrivener Gothic Literature is known for its presentation of hidden darkness of the human condition. The appearance of Gothic literature can often include parts that shock or place terror in the reader. However, its important to also understand that the human condition can be determined while reading different pieces of Gothic literature. In the short stories Bartleby, the Scrivener, written by Herman Melville and The Lottery, written by Shirley Jackson are both pieces of Gothic literature that can compare to each other because they discover different human conditions. When reading The Lottery we are introduced to a beautiful summer day, where the residents of a small town gather for an event known as the lottery. Mr. Summers is the man who controls the lottery and who is the man to bring the black box to the gathering area. While Mr.Summers stands and shuffles the papers inside it, the residents make sure they are carful to keep distance from the box. The residents are joined by Tessie Hutchinson the main character and who is Bill Hutchinson's wife, when the lottery begins the men are called by their family names to draw from the black box. Old Man Warner who is the oldest man in town criticizes that the lottery is necessary for a good harvest, and that people in the other towns are stupid for entertaining the idea. Once the drawing is finished, Mr.Summers directs that the men look at their paper to see who has been picked. It has been revealed...
Words: 1510 - Pages: 7
...In the story Bartleby the Scrivener, Melville shows the reader that everyone has different problems. The main one has to do with Bartleby. This is easy to tell if you pay attention to the actions of Bartleby throughout the book. In the book, Bartleby’s main problem was depression. You can tell that he gets depressed especially when he goes through all of the horrible life events such as, becoming blind and losing his place to stay. In the book Bartleby the Scrivener, the narrator shows us that depression has different effects on different people. When people have obstacles thrown at them, they have to understand them before it overcomes them. They never know what’s going to happen until it happens and what they are going to do when it does...
Words: 361 - Pages: 2
...“Bartleby the Scrivener” and “A Sorrowful Woman” reflect each other in a lot of ways. They have very similar plots and both thematically show that ‘untreated mental illness can lead to death as is the fate of both characters at the end of their individual stories. “Bartleby the Scrivener” by Herman Melville is a story that depicts the journey of a man withdrawn from society and refusing to adhere to societal norms. He does not crack despite numerous attempts to breach his seemingly tough armor. Although by a different author and of different circumstances, the woman in “A Sorrowful Woman” by Gail Godwin also rejects societal norms. She is fed up with the roles that society that society has imposed on her and is at breaking point, unable to adhere to societal specifications for the ideal mother and wife anymore. Analogous to the woman in the story by Gail Godwin, Bartleby is also unable to meet the criteria for societal acceptance. In the story, “Bartleby the Scrivener”, Bartleby is marginalized by societal norms in that he is first of all defined by his outward appearance. Even before having any contact with Bartleby, his employer describes him as “pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, and incredibly forlorn”. All these traits are inferred simply from his looks, and as the saying goes, ‘First impressions matter the most’, so if his employer had already pegged him as wan, depressed, and melancholy even before having any interaction with him, it is no surprise that their relationship...
Words: 1007 - Pages: 5
...and Herman Melville. These two writers, among others, involve a lot of symbolism and underlying meaning. Melville, however, writes in the form of metafiction, the use of one or more themes to draw attention to the work as an art form. Unfortunately, most of Melville’s published work was rejected at the time because readers did not understand. Today, however, they are understood as having much deeper meanings then the story they tell. His story, “Bartleby, the Scrivener”, works on two levels. On one hand it is a romantic story on non-conformity and on the other it is a story about mortality....
Words: 575 - Pages: 3
...and to support a theme. These elements are plot, imagery, setting, point of view, and characters. For example I will use the short story by Herman Melville, “Bartleby the Scrivener.” In this short story the theme is about selfishness and that one cannot change another, because one can only change him or her self regardless of any outside efforts. The plot in this story slowly builds up and then comes crashing down. It begins with one of the characters Bartleby, arriving at a lawyer’s office, seeking employment. Bartleby is a very oddly quiet person; regardless, he starts work right away and is a great scrivener. The lawyer, who owns the office, finds Bartley’s character to be an interest to him. He says, “I resolved to assign Bartleby a corner by the folding-doors, but on my side of them so as to have this quiet man within easy call, in case any trifling thing was to be done”(10). I wonder, why does the lawyer decide to selfishly seclude him from his co-workers? The story eventually hits a conflict. He asks his copyist to do something, Bartleby responds, “I would prefer not to”(12). At one point he asks closely, “you will not?”(17) and Bartleby responds, “I prefer not”(17). The lawyer becomes curious about Bartleby’s passive resistance. The lawyer eventually comes to a point where he knows he should fire Bartleby but allows him to continue being an employee. He expresses well why in this quote: “Poor fellow! thought I, he means no mischief; it is plain he intends no insolence...
Words: 2364 - Pages: 10
...Bartleby the Scrivener The meaningful projection in this story is the walls. These walls are symptoms of separation and represent Bartleby's separation from both reality and people. This set the tone for the story, as the relationships with each other seem to be purely professional in nature. This impersonality of the characters is significant - the business based world in which they operate has no room for personal interaction. Nothing is learned about any of the characters beyond what they are like in the office. The walls serve as a safe haven for Bartleby, as he is in a world with societal expectations and he chooses not to conform and the walls, in essence, allow him to retreat into a world of his own, thus protecting himself from those who may think he is a threat to their own materially oriented world. It is as though I am involved in trying to deal personally with Bartleby, a sensation that keeps me fully engaged with the story as it heads toward its tragic ending. "Strangely huddled at the base of the wall, his knees drawn up, and lying on his side, his head touching cold stones, I saw the wasted Bartleby" (Litz,1994, p.165-166). "I felt his hand, when a tingling shiver ran up my arm and down my spine to my feet" (Litz,1994, p.166). After Bartleby dies, alone and imprisoned, I learn a little of his past; apparently he worked in the dead letter office. Could it be that this depressing job affected Bartleby's sanity? Bartleby died of sadness...
Words: 317 - Pages: 2
...people on Earth we still continue to feel more and more lonely and isolated. Isolation is a theme which inspires a lot of writers. Margaret Atwood in “Death by Landscape” and Herman Melville in “Bartleby, the Scrivener” illustrate the topic of isolation. Lois and Bartleby, who are the two main characters respectively, have created their own isolation, and are negatively affected by it. We will see how they are both physically and socially isolated, the reasons and the consequences of these isolation. First, from the beginning of “Death by Landscape” we can see that Lois is isolating herself physically and socially when the narrator says: “Now that the boys are grown up and Rob is dead, Lois has moved to a condominium apartment in one of the new waterfront developments” (Atwood 25). She is closed off from the outside world, in her “safe” condominium. She does not want to go up north again, even anywhere near. She just wants to stay safe and avoid her fears. Also, Lois “was living not one life but two: her own, and another, shadowy life that hovered around her and would not let itself be realized” (Atwood 35). Moreover, she was socially isolated for a long time, “she can’t remember, now, having her two boys, …or what Rob looked like” (Atwood 35). Similarly, in “Bartleby, the Scrivener” the antagonist is isolating himself. We know nothing about him, but apparently he has no family and no friends. He works and lives at his office and after a few days of work he decided not to do...
Words: 790 - Pages: 4
...Herman Melville (1819-1891) Context and Background “Bartleby the Scrivener” was written in 1853, born in New York City, he was considered an “1870 writer”. Melville was one of the first American writers able to make a living off writing. People were interested in reading fiction, and “Moby Dick” was not common or appealing to the general population but holds merit today. He wrote “relatable” fiction, and people liked to read travel logs and exciting adventure stories (escapist literature). Moby Dick is not a relatable story due to the context of the scenarios, but it is considered an artistic novel because it is obscure and challenging. Melville wrote in two different modes; strange, difficult and unrealistic compared to relatable, realistic fiction. Bartleby the Scrivener contains elements of both; it is set in a New York office yet still continues weird elements. It was meant to be accessible and was considered “Great Literature” because it is symbolic, subtle and ironic. Bartleby the Scrivener * The boss is governed by the obligations of Wall Street, but also contains sympathetic traits towards Bartleby. Bartleby, who we do not know, is insane, stubborn, or stupid, and his behaviour is left up for interpretation. * Historical context: In the right hand corner of America, the Puritans went from England to settle in this area for religious reasons. New York was founded by the Dutch and they intended to set up a trading post. War was fought between these 2 groups,...
Words: 1834 - Pages: 8
...I believe this narrator pays attention to details of how the scriveners he hired got their nick names and attitudes with preciseness. These statements lead me to believe this, “It was fortunate for me, that owing to its peculiar cause –indigestion- the irritability and consequent nervousness of Nippers, were mainly observable in the morning, while in the afternoon he was comparatively mild. So that Turkey’s paroxysms only coming on about twelve o’clock, I never had to do with their eccentricities at one time.” Since the narrator pays attention so much it helps us to understand that the story will develop slowly and why Bartleby makes him so curious. One of the main characters in the story is Bartleby. From details in the story like when his boss asks him to look over the things he copied and he refuses, you can tell he is not going to do anything he does not want to whether it is his job unless you force him. Bartleby makes one change by the end of the story and that is he will not talk to Mr. B. anymore. His character is negative because he does not do the things his boss needs him to like go to the post office, go over his work, or leave. This shocks his employer at first but ends up frustrating him. For example, “I was now in such a state of nervous resentment that I thought it prudent to check myself at present from further demonstrations.” I think the setting of a lawyer’s office gives off the feeling of normalness. This helps the story because you can quickly identify that...
Words: 538 - Pages: 3
...Collin Cole January 24, 2016 Professor Almanza English 1302 Sec. 382 “Bartleby The Scrivener” Answers 1. In the first few paragraphs of the story the narrator describes himself as an elderly man. He grew up with an easy life and has become accustom to that lifestyle. Being an “elderly man” means he has gone through school and has become a well-educated man, with a job as an “unambitious lawyer”, that makes a good amount of money. With that money comes a certain arrogance about him when he compares himself to Jacob Astor. His language creates a sort of complexity to him that only he wants to understand himself and with the terms like “Imprimis” he could possibly be of Latin or Spanish decent. 2. The narrator introduces Turkey, and Nippers as copyists and a third, Ginger Nut, as an office boy. First described is Turkey. Turkey is a man that begins his day in harmony and finishes his day off in chaos. “In the morning, one might say, his face was of a fine florid hue, but after twelve o clock… it blazed like a grate full of Christmas coals”, Melville shows the polar opposites of Turkeys work ethic in the morning with the “florid hue” to the evening “blazing coals”, also comparing him to the sunrise and sunset. Next we have Nippers. Nippers was a man that was also a wreck at certain parts of the day, but luckily for the narrator Nippers and Turkey swapped craziness throughout the day as if it were clockwork. “There fits relieved each other like guards” explains the...
Words: 1017 - Pages: 5
...Here are my answers to the questions of Bartleby the Scrivener by Melville 1. The Boss who is also the narrator is up against Bartleby unwillingness to do what he is paid for. At first he does all his copying but when he is asked to check his work with the original copy, Bartleby simply refuse. The Boss feels frustrated by Bartleby’s answer but yet keep him longer to see if he’ll change, which he doesn’t and the Boss is force to move his business because Bartleby refuse to leave the place. In the story, Bartleby represents freedom as he chooses not to do anything. We can observe a couple of society statement, the narrator represent “normality” in which normal people seek social status and fortune, but on the other hand, Bartleby is the opposite as he does not seek any social status or interaction at all, he has lost his humanity and chooses to let go of everything. However, I read other Melville stories and I know that Melville often represent himself in his own stories. Here, Melville is represented by Bartleby. The narrator sees himself as normal making every other character in the story different from normal. Nippers has a “disease” for being ambitious and Turkey is annoying because he is “too energetic” but put together they are useful. Both represent different type of peoples we can easily find in our everyday world. They aren’t likable or sympathetic characters but because of their extreme behavior, they only make the scene less dark than it would be without...
Words: 702 - Pages: 3
