Bartleby

     Bartleby is a representation of a new consumer or leisure class. He presents a lax attitude towards work, in contrast to the narrator who clearly embodies the Protestant Ethic of work and charity. Through these characters, Melville shows the deterioration of society, as this new class has no respect for the old ways.

     Bartleby is a very eccentric man who comes to work as a copier at the law office.  Bartleby is paid 4 cents per 100 words that he copies. There are 2 other men who work as copiers and a young man who works as an errand boy of sorts. The 3 other men in the office copy, but also do other tasks asked of them by the lawyer like edit and run errands. Bartleby refuses to do any other duties besides copy, he always just replies "I'd prefer not to".

     In the begining Bartleby copies day and night, producing great output. "At first Bartleby did an extraordinary quantity of writing. As if long famishing for something to copy, he seemed to gorge himself on my documents. There was no pause for digestion. He ran a day and night line, copying by sun-light and by candle-light. I should have been quite delighted with his application, had be been cheerfully industrious. But he wrote on silently, palely, mechanically." (par 18 Melville)

     As the story goes on, Bartleby is willing to do less and less until he finally is willing to do nothing at all. Not only was Bartleby doing less and less work, he also became somewhat rude as time went on. He would not acknowledge or answer when he was called upon until he had been called upon several times. "

“Bartleby! quick, I am waiting.”	27
I heard a slow scrape of his chair legs on the uncarpeted floor, and soon he appeared standing at the entrance of his hermitage.	28
“What is wanted?” said he mildly.	29
“The copies, the copies,” said I hurriedly. “We are going to examine them. There”—and I held towards him the fourth quadruplicate.	30
“I would prefer not to,” he said, and gently disappeared behind the screen.

(par 27-30 Melville)

     The lawyer would go to the other 3 men/employees and ask them what they thought of Bartleby's behavior and they hated his attitude and wanted him to change and be willing to do the work they were doing also, they thought he was crazy, and they thought he should be fired. “I think I should kick him out of the office.” (par 44 Melville)  “I think, sir, he’s a little luny” (par 47 Melville).

     Bartleby seemed to have taken advantage of everything he could. He lived in the office for free, did the absolute bare minimum amount of work he could, and refused to talk to any of the employees. Clearly though he wasn't a bad person acting this way on purpose to be mean. It seems as though there was something mentally wrong with guy. He seemed to have no social skills at all and maybe had other issues. I know in the average workplace he would have been fired but the lawyer felt some sort of compassion for this guy. He felt sorry for him and was afraid that if he fired Bartleby, Bartleby would have to work somewhere else and the new employer would have been mean to him so he kept him around so he wouldn't be hurt by someone else. "If I turn him away, the chances are he will fall in with some less indulgent employer, and then he will be rudely treated, and perhaps driven forth miserably to starve." (par 53 Meliville)  The lawyer did this until he just could no longer do it, then when he tried to get rid of him, he wouldn't leave. 

     I have read about this story on a few websites just to try and get a better understanding of what is going on and they all have stated that there are many takes on it. Different ways one can perceive what Melville's reasoning was behind this story. I really am unsure. I feel like he is writing a tale of a man who is just a bit odd and got lucky to have gotten a job at this lawyers office where he was tollerated and they tried to figure him out.



Works Cited: Melville, Herman. "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street." 1853.