Literary Analysis of "Bartleby the Scrivener"

“Bartleby the scrivener” is a story by Herman Melville which takes place at a small office on wall-street. The narrator, who is a lawyer, analyses the workers around him and becomes focused and intrigued by one of the many workers, Bartleby. Before the narrator focuses on Bartleby, he first gives some insight about himself, the surroundings, and the other employees at his office. The narrator states that he “has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best. All who know me consider me an eminently safe man” (Melville, par 3). In other words, this narrator is an unambitious lawyer who does not like taking risks. His primary focus in life is financial stability and simplicity. He owns a small office on wall-street. The office is located on the second floor; “at one end they looked upon the white wall of the interior of a spacious skylight shaft, penetrating the building from top to bottom” (Melville, par 5). The view from the other end had an aging black brick wall. The atmosphere in this office appears as a plain, boring, open space. Bartleby is the hero of Melville’s story in his refusal to participate in a workplace that represents the sad, dreary atmosphere of a bureaucratic, industrialized society.

Before Bartleby’s arrival at the office, the narrator has two persons working as copyists and an office boy. The first copyist that the narrator describes is Turkey. Turkey is described as a short, Englishman, aging around sixty. His motivation is productive in the mornings, but he’s drunk by noon, becoming less productive, refusing to go home early. The second copyist is Nippers. Nippers is described as “the victim of two evil powers ambition and indigestion” (Melville, par 11). Although he is not a drinker as his coworker Turkey, he has an irritable temperament that eased as the day went on. Thus, the productivity of the two were opposite. Turkey was productive in the mornings, while Nippers was more productive in the afternoon. Ginger Nut, the office boy, youthful at only twelve years of age, sent to the office by his father, “as a student at law, errand boy, and cleaner and sweeper, at the rate of one dollar a week” (Melville, par 14). His nickname “Ginger Nut” came from the ginger nut cakes he got for the workers.

As the narrator’s business began to pick up, he hired another worker, Bartleby. The first impression Bartleby gave off, described by the narrator as “pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, incurably forlorn” (Melville, par 15). Bartleby was seen as a much needed balance to the “flighty temper of Turkey, and the fiery one of Nippers” (Melville, par 16). Although the work was very “dull, wearisome, and lethargic”, initially, Bartleby did more work than both of his coworkers combined (Melville, par 19). In the beginning Bartleby did an enormous quantity of writing, even going to the extent of copying documents by sunlight and by candlelight. However while the narrator was delighted with his work, he also made the observation that Bartleby “wrote on silently, palely, mechanically” (Melville, par 18). After the third day of Bartleby’s employment, the narrator calls upon Bartleby to complete a small task. To the narrator’s dismay, Bartleby responds “I would prefer not to” (Melville, par 21). I think that this response has a great importance because this is the first time that Bartleby begins to show his attitude of not wanting to do no more than he has to.

A few days after this incident, the narrator needed Bartleby’s assistance again and when he asked for it, again Bartleby’s response was the same; “I would prefer not to” (Melville par 31).  Even when pressed by his boss, “Why do you refuse?” Bartleby would still respond mildly saying “I would prefer not to” (Melville, par 33). When the narrator asked the other office employees what they thought of the situation, Turkey and Nippers thought that he should be kicked out of the office, while Ginger Nut thought that Bartleby was “a little luny” (Melville, par 47).

After several days had passed, the narrator observed that Bartleby never went to dinner, or for that matter, never went anywhere. As days passed on the narrator and his employees’ suspicions of Bartleby never leaving the office came to pass. One Sunday the narrator decided to go to church, in which he found himself arriving there early, so he decided that he would walk to his office. When he arrived at his office, in his attempts to unlock the door, to his surprise, there was Bartleby opening the door from within expressing his apologies. At the time, the narrator did not engage with Bartleby, but rather he walked around the block a few times to allow Bartleby the time to conclude his affairs at the office. Upon his second arrival to his office, Bartleby had disappeared. It was clear to the narrator that Bartleby had been making his home there in the office of his business.

These occurrences of events made the narrator recollect “all the quiet mysteries” about Bartleby (Melville, par 92). For instance, how Bartleby never really spoke unless he was spoken to, and when he was spoken to, his usual response was “I would prefer not to”.  Bartleby also seemed to live a very lonely life with a considerable amount of time to himself. He was never seen reading any type of material. He was also seen standing and staring out the window and at the walls for long periods of time. He was never observed going out, or making any efforts to socialize. It was assumed that he had no family. He was very withdrawn and reserved. This persuaded the narrator that Bartleby “was the victim of innate and incurable disorder. I might give alms to his body; but his body did not pain him; it was his soul that suffered, and his soul I could not reach” (Melville, par 93). Therefore, after taking into consideration, all of these peculiar, motionless, and sometimes morbid sense of reality one would come to the conclusion that Bartleby was a very depressed, lonely, and disgruntled individual who was struggling with the motions of everyday life.

Works Cited:

Melville, Herman. “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street.” Bartleby. N.P., 1853. Web. 19 Feb 2012. http://www.bartleby.com/129/.

Bartleby the scrivener

http://www.bartleby.com/129/


"It rather proceeds from a certain hopelessness of remedying excessive and organic ill. To a sensitive being, pity is not seldom pain. And when at last it is perceived that such pity cannot lead to effectual succor, common sense bids the soul be rid of it. What I saw that morning pursuaded me that scrivener was the victim of innate and incurable disorder. I might give alms to his body; but his body did not pain him; it was his soul that suffered, and his soul I could not reach." (Melville n.p.)
Melville, Herman "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street". 1853. 


In "Bartleby, the scrivener", a man who works on wall street discusses his challenges and thoughts relating to his work. The above passage shows some of the signs of the depressive and emotionless state the man is in. It was almost like Bartleby became an empty mechanical man going through the every day motions of his job and life which seem to be the same in one. Throughout the story, Bartleby becomes more reclusive and drowns himself in his solitude and emptiness; becoming unwilling to do certain tasks, which is represented by numerous responses from Bartleby saying that he would "prefer not to". (Melville n.p.) Therefore, I believe that the passage that I have referenced above is of great importance because it represents that Bartleby is drained of life and doesn't seem to have the strength or desire to go on.

Summary and Analysis

 My assignment for this week is to explain my understandings of the difference between summary and analysis. In order to know the difference between summary and analysis, we must first know the meaning of the two terms. A summary is an overview of content that enables the reader to grasp the overall theme, but does not expand on or into specific details. A summary describes a larger work, such as an entire book, movie, or research assignment, and should include noticeably less content then the original work. Summaries are very useful to readers because they can save time, which prevents the reader from actually having to go through and distinguish the important information from the unimportant. For example: Our teacher provided a well-documented summary of the chapter, so that her students would not have study the unimportant parts of the text, and as a result I still received an A on my test.

Analysis is a systematic examination and evaluation of data or information, by breaking it down so that the relationships of its component parts are uncovered and thereby identified. Analysis can also be identified by examining the provided data and facts that will help to uncover and understand cause and affect relationships, therefore providing the reader with the necessary information that will serve as the basis for potential problem solving and decision making.

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/what-is-literary-analysis-and-when-to-teach-it/

Summary of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory: The world is astounded when Willy Wonka, for years a recluse in his factory, announces that five lucky people will be given a tour of the factory, shown all the secrets of his amazing candy, and one will win a lifetime supply of Wonka chocolate. Nobody wants the prize more than young Charlie, but as his family is so poor that buying even one bar of chocolate is a treat, buying enough bars to find one of the five golden tickets is unlikely in the extreme. But in movieland, magic can happen. Charlie, along with four somewhat odious other children, get the chance of a lifetime and a tour of the factory. Along the way, mild disasters befall each of the odious children, but can Charlie beat the odds and grab the brass ring? Written by Rick Munoz <rick.munoz@his.com>

A Modest Proposal

Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal

The problem that Swift addresses in A Modest Proposal is poor women having too many children and not being able to support them nor able to work to provide for them. “These mothers instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants who, as they grow up, either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes.” He wants to stop all of the poor mothers from having kids if they cannot take care of them and provide for them. He also wants to get rid of the children who are currently living in poverty and relying on their communities and landlords. He wants to do this by selling one year olds to the rich for food.

I think his purpose is not serious. I believe his purpose is to make the point that anyone can come up with an idea on how to solve the problem but if it is not enforced nothing will change. I think that Swift is making fun of the government because they have suggested ways of dealing with this problem but have not attempted to put them into practice. “Therefore I repeat, let no man talk to me of these and the like expedients, ‘till he hath at least some glimpse of hope, that there will ever be some hearty and sincere attempt to put them into practice.”

I do not believe that Swift’s solution is logical nor moral or ethical. The evidence of Swift’s position lies within this quote: “I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the publick good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich. I have no children, by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old, and my wife past child-bearing.”

Swift, J. (1729). “A Modest Proposal”