Also the story takes place in a law office populated by a set of odd men, whose relationships with each are suppose to be professional in nature. The narrator’s plight works through the themes of responsibility and compassion. Doubling is a recurring theme in “Bartleby.” Bartleby is a phantom double of our narrator, and the parallels between them will be further explored later. The narrator is certainly not an exception among humans for his choices: he puts up with more from Bartleby than anyone else does. Our customer support team is available Monday-Friday 9am-5pm EST. He describes the character of the masonry as “Egyptian,” and mentions the “soft imprisoned turf” growing underfoot. The story is narrated by the Lawyer, who employs Bartleby, and tells the story of his strangest employee Bartleby. Bartleby answers the ad, and the Lawyer hires him. Our all-in-one writing help tool includes: Grammar and Spell Checker Plagiarism Checker Citation Tool Designed to reduce mistakes, improve writing habits and transform okay essays into stellar ones – with bartleby write, you can submit your paper with confidence. From the beginning, the description of Bartleby is striking. The narrator’s feelings for Bartleby alternate between pity and revulsion. “The heart of the eternal pyramids, it seemed, wherein, by some strange magic, through the clefts, grass-seed, dropped by birds, had sprung” (45). .” (33-34). “He did not look at me while I spoke, but kept his glance fixed upon my bust of Cicero, which, as I then sat, was directly behind me, some six inches above my head” (999). Thesis Statement / Essay Topic #1: “Bartleby the Scrivener” as a Human Tragedy. He says that it is a name “… which, I admit, I love to repeat; for it hath a rounded and orbicular sound to it, and rings like unto bullion”. “Bartleby the Scrivener” Outline I. Increasingly, Bartleby is described in ghostly terms, and a perceptive reader will soon realize that the ghost is in some ways the narrator’s phantom double. When asked to perform a task, Bartleby frequently responds, “I would prefer not to”(pg. Even though he speaks of his compassion to his clerks Turkey and Nippers, there is a way in which he might be completely out of touch with their actual needs and real feelings. “Hence, though I belong to a profession proverbially energetic and nervous, even to turbulence, at times, yet nothing of that sort have I ever suffered to invade my peace” (986). Something about the space is dehumanizing, and makes murder possible. The description comes not during the first visit, but right before the narrator finds Bartleby’s death. The office space of the modern business world undergoes some interesting conceptualizations in this section. Ironically, on the day his pity turns to revulsion, the narrator was on his way to Church. By clicking "Send Message", you agree to our, Functional Activities Of Dietary Department, https://paperap.com/paper-on-bartleby-the-scrivener-essay/. The author uses vague and confusing language to describe the Lawyer’s employee named Bartleby. For instance, he does not seem to care about why his two employees become angry or belligerent while working, but rather content that they do not rebel at the same time. Sorry, but copying text is forbidden on this website. They provide valuable comic relief in what is otherwise a somber and upsetting tale. Part of Bartleby’s power over the narrator is that he somehow sees Bartleby as a part of himself. However, I am going to interpret what I believe the reader should know for certain about Bartleby and why Melville provides so little explicit information about Bartleby. Melville's short story, "Bartleby the Scrivener," has provided his readers and critics with enough material to speculate upon Bartleby's condition and the message the writer intends to send through his peculiar character. All quotes from “Bartleby the Scrivener” contain page numbers as well. Pearson Prentice Hall: 2007. Thus, a theme emerges about alienation of workers under such social conditions and dehumanizing consequences. Don’t waste Your Time Searching For a Sample, Get Your Job Done By a Professional Skilled Writer. He has lost the post he occupied during the central events of the story, as the position was deemed redundant and eliminated. The ghostly descriptions of Bartleby are now extended to the narrator. To leave room for interpretation IV. The narrator senses that there are parallels between himself and the scrivener, and Bartleby’s gloom infects him: “Before, I had never experienced aught but a not unpleasing sadness. The narrator visits Bartleby to find him in the same state of mind preferring to even eat. Ginger Nut gleefully suggests that Bartleby is insane: “I think, sir, he’s a little loony” (16). This story intimates a dichotomy between the people who profit off of such business, and those more in the working class like Bartleby, Turkey, and Nippers, and the long arduous work they are subjected-to should be brought out as they are essentially human copy machines. Help, Use multiple resourses when assembling your essay, Use Plagiarism Checker to double check your essay, Get help from professional writers when not sure you can do it yourself, Do not copy and paste free to download essays. He describes going up the stairs to his old office as “going upstairs to my old haunt” (42). However, Bartleby’s passive resistance to anything demanded for him to do or suggested to him is unbreakable making him incredibly mentally strong. The image of birds dropping seeds, which grow in spite of the hostile environment, is lyrical and powerful. It was the circumstance of being alone in a solitary office, up stairs, of a building entirely unhallowed by humanizing domestic associations . By the closing sentence of “Bartleby the Scrivener”, the author may be saying that it is human nature to have faults; however losing the ability to emote and connect with one’s surrounding world is perhaps the greatest tragedy an individual could go through or witness. Here, the doubling is expanded. These adjectives paint an unhealthy image of Bartleby of physical weakness. 986-1011 in Fiction 100: an Anthology of Short Fiction. The grass then becomes battered, trapped life, with no hope of escaping the “Egyptian character” of the Tombs. At Paperap.com you will find a wide variety of top-notch essay and term paper samples on any possible topics absolutely for free. also offered here. “So that, Turkey’s paroxysms only coming on about twelve o’clock, I never had to do with their eccentricities at one time. Nippers’ ambition mirrors Turkey’s resignation to his place and the sad uneventfulness of his career, the difference coming about because of their respective ages. However, I am going to interpret what I believe the reader should know for certain about Bartleby and why Melville provides so little explicit information about Bartleby. He has made himself perfectly at home in the modern economy: he works as a lawyer dealing with rich men’s legal documents. Even though the story “Bartleby, the Scrivener” portrays the decline of Bartleby character as seen by the Lawyer and the author provides the reader with little information about Bartleby, it still allowed the reader to fully engage and appreciate the story. Although he denies the charge that the pity-to-revulsion change is due to selfishness, his explanation of the motives behind it seem like little more than a selfishness that is philosophically justified. We see that Bartleby does not want to do anything; living itself tires him. Graduate Writing Center: Writing Thesis and Dissertation Proposals 7304 Words 30 Pages Writing a Thesis or Dissertation Proposal 1 Writing Thesis and Dissertation Proposals The Graduate Writing Center of the Center for Excellence in Writing Overview: This workshop will introduce basic principles of writing proposals across a range of disciplines. John Jacob Astor; a name which, I admit, I love to repeat; for it hath a rounded and orbicular sound to it, and rings like unto bullion” (986-87). After the narrator attempts to reason with Bartleby, the scrivener is forcibly removed and imprisoned. Bartleby is a phantom double not only for the narrator, but for all of humanity. We learn in the first paragraphs of “Bartleby the Scrivener” that the characters we are dealing with are a lawyer and his law clerks. If you contact us after hours, we'll get back to you in 24 hours or less. “…. It therefore saves you a lot of time and energy that you could direct elsewhere. The narrator’s initial self-characterization is important to the story. Bartleby is described as completely emotionless, at one point “… he wrote on silently, palely, mechanically”. For both I and Bartleby were sons of Adam” (23). The plot of the story revolves around Bartleby’s refusal to carry out his employer’s orders. But no; I verily believe that buttoning himself up in so downy and blanket-like a coat had a pernicious effect upon him—upon the same principle that too much oats are bad for horses” (989-990). A fraternal melancholy! It is difficult to attempt to describe Bartleby’s because the reader is practically given no information on him besides the physical characteristics. 550 words(double Their vices are also parallel, in terms of being appropriate vices for each man’s respective age. His “prudence” and “method” might easily translate into words like greedy or miserly. Thesis Statement / Essay Topic #2: “Dead Letters” and Heavy Words in “Bartleby the Scrivener”. He is a person who seems already dead: he is described alternately as one would describe a corpse or as one would describe a ghost. Bartleby the Scrivener Essay. The story draws the reader in emotionally as if though the reader, like the Narrator, is involved in trying to deal personally with Bartleby. Works Cited http://www. We also learn that the narrator is not a courtroom-style lawyer, but a business lawyer that deals with “rich men’s bonds”. Notice also that there is a double meaning in the exchange. He is aware of the world. If you need this or any other sample, we can send it to you via email. Nothing pleases him about this world. The description of the office is incredibly bleak: on one side, the windows open onto a light shaft, and on the other, the windows look out onto a brick wall. The narrator also makes an interesting move by describing the office as a site of savagery. How about receiving a customized one? Click to learn more https://goo.gl/CYf83b. So Turkey and Nippers are quite the opposite of Bartleby, yet the main conflict that “Bartleby the Scrivener” presents is an internal one: that is, how is the narrator to deal with someone who appears to be void of any human attributes? Bartleby’s death suggests the effects of depression. It's Free! Also there were a few things the reader could have interpreted for certain about Bartleby even though Melville provided so little explicit information about Bartleby. The short story “Bartleby the Scrivener” centers on a “scrivener” name Bartleby for a law firm. Note also in the descriptions of Turkey and Nippers, there is some sort of organic mechanization in the way they work, and how their temperaments change: “Their fits relieved each other, like guards. com/lit/melvillestories/section2. II. Students looking for free, top-notch essay and term paper samples on various topics. To connect with the reader B. But is the grass a metaphor for hope, and life’s persistence, the possibility of survival and beauty in a harsh environment? Quoted from “Bartleby the Scrivener” [] by Herman Melville, pp. Has he failed as a human being if he has done any less than all he can? However, I am going to interpret what I believe the reader should know for certain about Bartleby and why Melville provides so little explicit information about Bartleby. Analysis of Short Story Bartleby, the Scrivener. Bartleby the Scrivener. Their fits relieved each other, like guards. Nippers and Turkey are doubles of each other. "You must agree to out terms of services and privacy policy", Get to Know The Price Estimate For Your Paper, By clicking “Write my paper”, you agree to our, Analysis of Short Story Bartleby, the Scrivener, By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our, By clicking Send Me Sample you agree on the, The Tall Woman and Her Short Husband Short Story Analysis, Analysis of The Telegram a short story by writer Iain Crichton Smith, Gimpel the Fool: A Critical Analysis of the Short Story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, Ask Writer For spaced), Parent topic: The narrator also apparently shares the opinion, as he confides to the grub-man that Bartleby is “a little deranged” (44). Analyze the structure of the narration in “Bartleby the Scrivener”, and the narrator’s use of language in talking about himself. His pity for Bartleby turns to revulsion (see the passage from pp. Finally, the narrator’s resolve to help Bartleby weakens, and it’s because of his work. Melville leaves out a lot of explicit information about the scrivener and through this perspective, we quickly identify with the conflicted feelings of the Narrator. It rather proceeds from a certain hopelessness of remedying excessive and organic ill” (24-25). He is therefore an opposite or complement to Bartleby in many ways. However, we really never know why or what causing this odd behavior because Melville provides little information about the character Bartleby. He is passively stubborn C. He looses interest in his work III. Bartleby is a creature unable to adapt to this world, because he is too honest about what appeals to him. Later, we learn that Bartleby haunts the building. The Lawyer has two other scriveners, Turkey and Nippers, and an errand boy, Ginger Nut but finds Bartleby to be the most interesting of all the scriveners. The narrator’s offer to have Bartleby stay at his own home seems initially generous, but this belated offer of hospitality comes from a fear of scandal: a lawyer has threatened to publish the case in the papers. At first, the narrator calls our attention to the desolateness of the office and of Wall Street: “Of a Sunday, Wall Street is deserted as Petra; and every night of every day it is an emptiness” (23). Don't use plagiarized sources. Ambition arguably is most volatile in a man’s youth. Conclusion: A. Restate thesis B. Reflections “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” The short story “Bartleby the Scrivener” is very difficult to interpret. All rights reserved. The work environment is sterile and cheerless. Nippers is useless in the morning and productive in the afternoon, while Turkey is drunk in the afternoon and productive in the morning. Want to add some juice to your work? Through his telling of the story, the reader begins to strongly identify with the narrator and see Bartleby as both pathetic and a little frightening. Yet most adapt to it, with varying degrees of success. Some considered the information on the scrivener rather inconclusive and shifted their attention to the other major character in the short story, the … The decline of Bartleby pointed out through numerous details of the story, forces the reader to make conclusions about the Bartleby’s character. All five incorporate at least one of the themes found in “Bartleby the Scrivener” and are broad enough so that it will be easy to find textual support, yet narrow enough to provide a focused clear thesis statement. For example, I cannot credit that the mettlesome poet, Byron, would have contentedly sat down with Bartleby to examine a law document of, say, five hundred pages, closely written in a crimpy hand” (991). About Bartleby A. Bartleby is very complex character B. You can rewrite some parts or paraphrase to make the text unique. Incidentally, the Halls of Justice are called “The Tombs.”. Instead of taking him right away as a wise old man who is giving us the story straight, look for contradictions in his narration. The landscape of Wall Street is completely unnatural, and one is cut off from nature and almost all living things. . Here you will also find the best quotations, synonyms and word definitions to make your research paper well-formatted and your essay highly evaluated. Nothing in life excites him. The real death is more than an event in time: death is diffuse, a spiritual gloom pervading the empty Wall Street landscape, the imposing stonework of the prison, and the Dead Letter Office where Bartleby supposedly worked. Introduction: A. At work here is what Toni Morrison (an admirer of Melville) would call a shortage of love. Bartleby and the narrator are more real, but both of them also have powerful allegorical roles. Alcoholism is a vice that develops with time. Introduction: A. For one, we know that Bartleby is a complex character and passively prefers not to discuss his life and his past. Thesis Plagiarism Checker - Why You Should Use It I would describe this plagiarism checker as a basic necessity for anyone writing a thesis. He is also described as a ghost. Note how often we see Bartleby as phantom, as when the narrator roars his name until he appears: “Like a very ghost, agreeably to the the laws of magical invocation, at the third summons, he appeared at the entrance of his hermitage” (19). The narrator will try to help Bartleby return home, but we will see that there are limits to what he feels he can do. Melville uses the adjectives to describe the scrivener: pallid, forlorn, even cadaverous. Or does the phrase “imprisoned turf” dominate the image? In fact we don’t know anything about any of the characters beyond what they’re like in the office, not even our narrator.

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