The American dream gave those who occupy the U.S. a sense of hope that anyone, no matter what socioeconomic status, can be successful if they have the right sense of hard work and determination. From this, it helped construct expectations of how workers should act. Strict social norms in the workforce were imposed such as the amount of respect given to those in the authoritative hierarchy. However in the story Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville, the author presents the idea of these norms with the character, Bartleby. In the text we follow the narrator who hires Bartleby as a copier of legal documents for his law firm, yet when the narrator assigns him a task he generally responds with “I prefer not to”. Bartleby’s response is not seen as a sign of rebellion nor as an indication of cooperation. Yet his reply implies the sense that he has an option, an idea not usually seen or given in the workforce. Even though norms in the work force are sometimes unjustified, his response to a job that he was hired for was condescending and is not enough to defend his actions.
I think that the main question that needs to be answered about Bartleby’s behavior was not whether or not it was reasonable, but if it was appropriate. Of course his actions would be viewed as reasonable considering the fact that he had a grim experience with his past position with the Dead Letter Office. With this circumstance, the reader can be understanding of Bartleby’s depressive episodes. However, the answer to why Bartleby acted the way he did wasn’t revealed until almost the end of the story. If this fact was never revealed would the audience still possess the same feeling of pity and empathy towards him? In present America, if a worker had the same quality that Bartleby did, they would most likely be fired on the spot. American society imprinted the notion on the working class that if they do not do their jobs properly they can be easily replaced with someone who is more qualified. In a capitalist society, if you do not have a job your are unable to produce money that will allow you to live a comfortable life for yourself and your family. Due to this, workers will try their hardest to impress their supervisors and not cause any trouble in the work force. On the other hand, it is the complete opposite for Bartleby’s situation. Bartleby’s actions didn’t show obedience to authority. The narrator was actually surprised and perplexed when Bartleby preferred not to proofread his own document. Yet the narrator didn’t dismiss Bartleby from his position. Melville conveys how society is so used to these norms that once someone defies them we are dumbfounded and unsure on how to handle a situation of disobedience. Moreover, he also allows the audience to question if we should even apply and follow these norms in the first place.
Overall, I think that Bartleby’s actions were reasonable considering the fact that he went through hardships in his life. However, taking into account that the story took place in a work setting, I think that he could have used a different approach with dealing with his emotions and experiences.
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Bringing the norms of society to the reader reveals the contradiction Melville produced in Bartleby. It was great how you noted how dumfounding it is to see how Bartleby was able to survive so long is such a capitalist society in that is so strict on the norms and the way people should behave to their higher authority. You organized your paper very neatly to allow the flow of ideas to tie into each other, from what the norms are to how they were broken by Bartleby. However I did believe you should have advanced on his idea of wanting to have option due to your intro on it. Despite that your body did great job focusing on idea of defying social norms.
ReplyDeleteI like how you said that Bartleby's actions weren't an act of rebellion or an act of cooperation, but rather a statement that he had the option to do what he liked. I never thought of Bartleby's actions in that sense and it makes sense the way you explain it. Although, I feel like you could have gone into more detail on how Bartleby's actions showed this longing for a voice in society and how he wanted the option to do what he liked, even though he was a low class worker with no say in any actions within the workforce/society. Other than that, I feel like you did a good job of getting your points across about societal norms at the time and how Bartleby broke them.
ReplyDeleteI like how you described society and how you applied the novel into real life. I feel like you could have structured your essay better as you didn't introduce your main question until the second paragraph instead of introducing in the thesis. Furthermore, you could have emphasized on the notion of capitalism in your conclusion too. Apart from that, you did a good job on getting your information together and inform the reader in a coherent matter.
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