In the famous short story, “Bartleby, The Scrivener,” Herman Melville’s main character defies authority with his infamous phrase: “I would prefer not to.” While critics accuse Bartleby of being stubborn and insolent, I believe Bartleby’s actions were justified given his past. Due to the monotony of his previous job and the lack of personality on Wall Street, Bartleby’s response to his circumstances is reasonable.
Prior to working for the Lawyer, Bartleby was stifled by death at his previous job; he worked as a clerk in a Dead Letter Office. He sorted letters with money for malnourished relatives that didn’t arrive in time, instead the victim succumbing to starvation. The monotonous task of sorting dead letters for burning most likely was not the setting for conversation. Bartleby was said to be stubborn because he would not verify the accuracy of his own documents. Perhaps Bartleby avoided social interaction with the Lawyer and his coworkers because he was accustomed to it. There is no mention of Bartleby having a family or any friends so it can be assumed that he didn’t talk to anyone. Social anxiety could have caused him to use his infamous phrase as a defense to putting himself in uncomfortable situations. Ultimately, the death surrounding him and the dullness of his job caused Bartleby to be a disagreeable employee for the Lawyer.
The men that worked on Wall Street cared more about their reputation than their actions. The Lawyer is partially an exception to the norm of the frigid businessmen that worked there. He viewed Bartleby as his charity case and gave credited himself for giving the man a place to live and work. After Bartleby stopped working completely, he didn’t have the heart to force Bartleby to move, so he did. However, when another lawyer asked about who Bartleby was he said he didn’t know anything about him. He left the city to leave his affiliation with the “vagrant” behind. Bartleby could not trust his own boss to stand up for him; the other men on Wall Street wanted him in the Tombs because he haunted the building and could affect business. The superficial appearance of the businessmen of Wall Street could have caused Bartleby’s social anxiety to heighten because he did not have money, a fancy job, or nice belongings like they all did. They offered no kindness to him, instead they looked down their noses at a man who was unable to speak up or engage in a conversation. Bartleby’s actions are sensible because he had no other options without money or social connections. It was just a matter of time before someone put him in the Tombs because they did not want to see a homeless man on a street corner affecting the prosperous vibe of Wall Street. Bartleby utilized his resources by staying in the office to preserve what little pay he was receiving from the lawyer. In conclusion, Bartleby’s actions are reasonable due to the fact that he has no history of social interaction, no family or friends, and a low-paying job. WC: 509
I really liked how you justified Bartleby's actions. The way you brought up how we don't know any of his home life, whether or not he has a family, or that it could be due to social anxiety is a very good point. I never thought that social anxiety due to his previous workplace or even his life at home could've caused Bartleby to act this way at his new job. However, you could've added more textual evidence further supporting your statements. Besides that, you're post is very well written with great thoughts!
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job organizing your post. You gave a concise thesis statement, and followed up with a great analysis of Bartleby and his given environment in your body paragraphs. However, I think you should have included a conclusion paragraph in order to remind the reader of your claims, and to also explain why the story and how Bartleby acted was significant. Overall, your blog post was very easy to follow and had a strong analysis of the story.
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