... he worked with and his surroundings added to the dullness of his character. "I think, sir, he's a little loony," replied Ginger Nut, with a grin" (466). Bartleby is an isolated character, his window stares at a wall, which causes him to frequently stare into his "own world." He chooses to not work and become the not ... a life of trouble. He is often ridiculed and put to shame to be a worker on Wall Street. The narrator continues to help him, but is unsuccessful. Bartleby chooses not to care about his life because he is headed towards a life that he hadn't expected. He consistently choos...

• Word Count: 884
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... the same for him and it is understandable when, a few weeks into the job, he starts "preferring" not to do the work. Melville gives us no explanation for Bartleby's actions either at the beginning or the end of the book, that is, until the last paragraph. When the narrator tells us a "rumor" he has heard. " ... The report was this: that Bartleby had been a subordinate clerk in the Dead Letter Office at Washington... Dead letters! does it not sound like dead men?" The answer is that no, dead letters ... and dead men sound nothing alike and that Melville is trying to create an answer to wh...

• Word Count: 508
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... Wall Street, Herman Melville portrays the deranged character and namesake of the novel, as a blatant critique of nineteenth century America. In spite of his seemingly antagonistic role in the novel, Bartleby is really a victim of his surroundings. He is an alienated proletarian in the American workplace, who, after asserting that his job and his future are meaningless, decides to waste away ... into death. The story begins with Bartleby seeking employment in the office of a scrivener; a glorified copyist. The narrator sums up the typical scrivener in his description of himself: an "unam...

• Word Count: 455
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... in the metaphor of individual versus society. Those who do not fit into the common mold are pressured to change or are removed forcibly. Bartleby is an example of a character that doesnÍt fit anywhere even near the mold and is "removed." Within this society that upholds the common ... a hierarchy of obsessive qualities, some of which are admired and others which are scorned and deemed to be in the realm of dysfunctionalism. Bartleby is character that holds an aesthetic of performing only a single action to the exclusion to everything else, this is his obsession. BartlebyÍs obsessi...

• Word Count: 568
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... the world for himself. His prior job at the Dead Letter Office at Washington that is mentioned at the end of the story gives some insight as to why Bartleby has such a weird behavior and acted the way he did. He is a poor scrivener for a Wall Street lawyer, and his function in his workplace is ... of these are his use of the scenery, his description of the type of labor performed, and the personalities of his characters. Throughout the story, however, Bartleby was seen by the head of the law office as someone deprived of everything, which made him feel a sense of urgency throughout the s...

• Word Count: 594
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate