Bartleby, The Scrivener According to Wikipedia, “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is a short story by the American writer Herman Melville, first serialized anonymously in two parts in the November and December, 1853, issues of Putnam's Magazine, and reprinted with minor textual alterations in his The Piazza Tales in 1856. A Wall Street lawyer hires a new clerk who, after an initial bout of hard work, refuses to make copy and any other task required of him, with the words "I would prefer not to". Many sources have said that this "is unquestionably the masterpiece of the short fiction" (Milder) in the Melville canon. Published in 1853 by Herman Melville, “Bartleby, the Scrivener” tells the story of a young man, and how he went from being on top to hitting rock bottom. Guiseppe Ruvao describes it as a “psycho-anthropological explanation of work behaviors, relationships in work environments, and their psychopathological repercussions” (226). In the beginning, things seem to be going well for Bartleby. He is hired to work for a law firm, and is very eager to start his job. At first, Bartleby seems to be the perfect employee: he is hardworking, follows every rule and order given, and gets along well with the rest of the law firm. Things begin to shift however, and the audience along with the other characters start to see change in him. Over time, Bartleby has stopped working overall, leading the narrator to fire him from the firm. Bartleby, not wanting to leave, begins to put up a battle. Instead of verbally arguing with the narrator, he moves into the firm leading the audience and characters to believe there is something wrong with him. Bartleby now living in the firm, still does not work, but instead stares at a wall all day and night. He continues to do this until the narrator and the other characters begin to feel uncomfortable and decides to move firms. Eventually a new firm moves in, and Bartleby still refusing to leave the firm remains in his office, because of awkwardness that no one understands Bartleby gets arrested. While in prison he continues to do the same thing stare at walls, not sleep, and not eat. By the end Bartleby hs starved himself to death in prison. Themes Over the years, there has been many interpretations of what the theme was for Melville’s short story. Hannah Walser says that “Bartleby, the Scrivener has generated a wild proliferation of critical interpretations”(312). However, there is one theme that many have associated with the story, the theme of alcoholism. This theme comes from the fact that we see Bartleby’s behavior begin to make a drastic change in the story, and has even been said that “the role of escapism as an empty symptom of alcoholism, and Melville’s social intentions of presenting alcohol as something to be avoided.” ( Corey Thompson). Often times people miss where the theme comes into play, so let’s take a deeper look. In the story, his first signal of behavior change is when begins to refusing to complete his orders. When the narrator asks him to examine a paper his exact response is “I would prefer not to” (135). As the story continues we see Bartleby become stranger and stranger until he has everyone, including the new residents scared out of their mind. After doing some research on alcoholism, one of the main symptoms associated with the addiction is behavior changes, that can be brought on by emptiness. Remembering in the story that Bartleby was not married, had no children, not even family close to him so he became very lonely. No one can truly know if Melville purposely meant to make Bartleby an alcoholic, or if it happened by chance, but we can conclude that Bartleby may have made the theme of alcoholism as he never put set theme for the story itself. Characters Bartleby: New scrivener to the law firm. He starts off as a really good employee, eventually turns disobedient. He is mostly quiet and keeps to himself. Lawyer: The narrator of the story, he is an older man close to age 60. He is very hardworking and has a very good relationship with all of his employees. There is no mention of family or friends, but he is very content with his life and business. Turkey: Close in age with the narrator, and is considered the right-hand man. In the mornings he is very hardworking and reliable, by the afternoons he is drunk, harsh, and turns into a lazy employee. Nippers: A young, ambitious man. During the morning times he can be unpleasant due to his indigestion, by the afternoon however he is way more enjoyable. He has clients of his own, and is even politically active in the community. Ginger Nut: The youngest Member at the firm at only 12 years old. His father getting him the job, has high hopes of ginger nut becoming a judge in his future, as of now he is the errand boy for the la firm.
Works cited Melville, Herman. Bartleby, the Scrivener. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. 11th ed. Composed by Michael Meyer, University of Connecticut, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016, 2013,2011,2008. Ruvolo, Giuseppe. "The Meaning of Work and Its Context: A Reinterpretation of Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville." World Futures: The Journal of General Evolution, vol. 73, no. 4/5, June 2017, pp. 224-247. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/02604027.2017.1333840. Thompson, Corey Evan. "The Prodromal Phase of Alcoholism in Herman Melville's BARTLEBY, the SCRIVENER and COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!." Explicator, vol. 71, no. 4, Oct. 2013, pp. 275-280. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/00144940.2013.842146. Walser, Hannah. "The Behaviorist Character: Action without Consciousness in Melville's "Bartleby." Narrative, vol. 23, no. 3, Oct. 2015, pp. 312-332. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.mga.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=109335948&site=ehost-live.