Almost one hundred and fifty years since it was first published, Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener"" remains one of the most elusive short stories in all of American literature. What is the reason for Bartleby's strange behavior in the story? This is the question that plagues the story's narrator, and it has plagued the readers of "Bartleby the Scrivener,"" as well. While ... himself an outcast from society and looked askance at America's self-confident Republic. His innocence was shaken by his father's financial ruin and early death, which led to Melville's years of aimlessness as a...

• Word Count: 2093
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate