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Bartleby the Scrivener
Herman Melville's famous short story Bartleby the Scrivener is composed in a very orderly fashion. It begins with a brief introduction, in which the narrator describes who he is and what kind of life he leads, while the next sections introduce us to the three other main characters in the story - Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut. After each of the three characters is described in a comparative fashion, allowing the narrator to elucidate the idiosyncrasies of each, we are then introduced to Bartleby.
Bartleby, like the other characters, is bizarre. The strangest quality that Bartleby possesses, however, is his apparent refusal to do the work that is asked of him. Bartleby's refusal is mild in the beginning; when the lawyer asks him to do something, he calmly replies, "I would prefer not to." As time moves on, however, Bartleby refuses to do any and all work - yet at the same time, he never leaves the office.
The narrator maintains a strange empathy towards Bartleby throughout, which he is unable to explain. Still, Bartleby's actions become so extreme that he is eventually forced to move out of the office. He later finds out that Bartleby has refused to leave the old office. Eventually, Bartleby is thrown into jail, where he perishes, after having refused to eat.
Towards the end of the story, the narrator reveals that he has heard a rumor that Bartleby used to work in a dead letter office - a job that naturally would have been crushing to someone of such a melancholic disposition as Bartleby. This perhaps explains his inability to cope with the external world. He becomes so closed in on himself that he eventually perishes.
Melville's story thus unveils in a perfectly orderly, chronological fashion in order to express two men who are at odds with each other. While the narrator is representative of the conventional world, Bartleby is emblematic of the dark forces that occasionally engulf humanity. Only through the narrator's empathy for Bartleby is he ultimately redeemed.
Bibliography
Melville, Herman. "Bartleby the Scrivener." Retrieved 23 January 2008 at http://www.bartleby.com/129/.
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