Written by Ann Evrona
Repetition
“‘Oh, prefer? oh yes - queer word. I never use it myself. But, sir, as I was saying, if he would but prefer-’ ‘Turkey,’ interrupted I, “you will please withdraw.’ ‘Oh, certainly, sir, if you prefer that I should’” (Melville 142).
The repetition of the word “prefer” in Herman Melville’s short story, "Bartleby the Scrivener", exemplifies Bartleby’s growing influence on the narrator. In this scene, one of the narrator’s copyists, Turkey, suggests ale for the betterment of Bartleby’s neglectful work ethic while unknowingly overusing the word “prefer”. The paranoid narrator quickly recognizes the word in Turkey’s speech, realizing that Bartleby’s excessive use of the word “prefer” has seeped into not only his vocabulary, but Turkey’s as well. As Turkey continues to use the overstated word in his speech, the narrator dismisses him, as the word taunts him to the point of irritation. The fact that the narrator becomes frustrated over an unintentional choice of wording displays how Bartleby’s nature confuses him. Bartleby’s excessive usage of the phrase “I would prefer not to” characterizes his listless, dismissive deposition, and the narrator’s desire to understand his mysterious nature drives him to frustration. The narrator cannot stomach this word because he fears that Bartleby’s uncanny nature has already “... seriously affected him in a mental way” (Melville 142).
Symbolism
“...He eats nothing but ginger-nuts… Ginger-nuts are so called, because they contain ginger as one of their peculiar constituents, and their final flavoring one. Now, what was ginger? A hot, spicy thing. Was Bartleby hot and spicy? Not at all. Ginger, then, had no effect upon Bartleby” (Melville 134).
In the short story, Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville, food stands as a symbol of human passion and vivacity. The two copyists, Turkey and Nippers, and the office-boy, Ginger Nut, all have food-related names and are notably human-like; Turkey, a victim of human temptation, identifies as an alcoholic. Nippers, a victim of human emotion, cannot function in the morning because of his irritability. Ginger Nut proves himself human because of his childlike nature. Bartleby’s name, however, is not food-related, representing how Bartleby lacks the vibrancy present in the other three characters. When Ginger Nut fetches ginger-nuts for Turkey, Nippers, and Bartleby during office hours, Turkey and Nippers enjoy the treat, contributing to their human-like characteristics. However, the spiciness seems to have “...no effect upon Bartleby”, symbolizing how Bartleby presents himself as bland and devoid of passion (Melville 134). Additionally, the fact that Bartleby supposedly eats nothing but ginger-nuts shows how he must be malnourished, both physically and spiritually. Food, the substance that sustains life, stands as an element lacking in Bartleby’s life, representing the vivacity and spirit that Bartleby lacks.
Parallel Structure
“... Pardon for those who died despairing; hope for those who died unhoping; good tidings for those who died stifled by unrelieved calamities” (Melville 156).
The pattern of good wishes delivered to the misfortunate stands as an example of the parallel structure in Herman Melville’s short story, Bartleby the Scrivener. The letters that the notaries send out to people addressing their legal issues gradually kill the clerks on the inside because of the melancholic nature of the letters. The depressing tone of the letters smothers the hope of the clerks as well as the receiver of the letter. “Pardon” and “hope” are given to those who are already dead or devoid of hope because they are the ones who need it most (Melville 156). The legal documentation serves as a pressuring reminder of the burdens of life, bolstering one’s unwillingness to hold hope. Bartleby, among one of those who will die “despairing” and “unhoping”, understands the futility of the legal documents that bolster the despair of the people (Melville 156). Bartleby’s comprehension of the somber letters explains Bartleby's lack of vivacity and disassociation from the rest of the world. Bartleby, thus an embodiment of the human forlorness of the hopeless and the desparing, finds no point in living his life with meaning.
Imagery
“In answer to my advertisement, a motionless young man one morning stood upon my office threshold... I can see that figure now - pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, incurably forlorn! It was Bartleby” (Melville 130).
In the short story, Bartleby the Scrivener, Herman Melville’s visual imagery describes Bartleby’s physical demeanor, which in turn reflects upon his uncanny nature. Bartleby shows up at the narrator’s office threshold in response to his advertisement, intent on occupying a scrivener position. His demeanor, described as “neat” and “respectable”, exemplifies his habitual and organized schedule, as well as his desire for his wishes to be respected (Melville 130). Bartleby is a creature of clockwork habits, as he follows a static routine every day during office hours as later seen in the novel. Additionally, whenever he prefers not to perform a task, Bartleby demands respect refuses to take up a task he does not want to complete. However, Bartleby’s neatness in his physical demeanor exists “pallidly”, and his respectfulness stands as a product of pity (Melville 130). Bartleby’s pallid complexion reflects the lack of vivacity in his personality, and further contributes to his unhuman deposition, while Bartleby’s wishes are respected only because he is pitied. Bartleby’s “incurably forlorn” nature is represented in both his complexion and his character, as he speaks little and is incredibly reserved. The visual imagery depicts the somber aura and unhuman-like qualities of Bartleby through such negatively connotative words, contributing to Bartleby’s characterization.
Irony
“‘Very good, Bartleby,’ said I, in a quiet sort of serenely-severe self-possessed tone, intimating the unalterable purpose of some terrible retribution very close at hand” (Melville 136). LK
In Herman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener, the narrator’s use of verbal irony emphasizes his growing frustration with Bartleby’s refusal to obey simple orders. When the narrator asks Bartleby to pass on a short message to Nippers, a fellow clerk, who resides in the neighboring room, Bartleby bluntly refuses. He offers no reasoning behind his decisions and seems to act with no motive; he resents change in his schedule and tries to stay at his desk at all times. Because Bartleby occupies a position under the narrator’s power, Bartleby is expected to perform the tasks assigned to him. However, Bartleby acts according to his own will and shows no concern for the narrator’s authority. The narrator responds to Bartleby with “‘very good, Bartleby’”, though his nonchalant defiance leaves the narrator slightly disturbed (Melville 136). Despite the positive diction of his words, the tone in the narrator’s voice suggests the prospect of retribution in Bartleby’s future, as Bartleby’s behavior eats at his patience. The fact that the narrator expresses his displeasure through the tone of his voice rather than words shows how he tries to appear tolerant of Bartleby’s unusual behavior.
Metaphor
“In plain fact, [Bartleby] had now become a millstone to me, not only useless as a necklace, but afflictive to bear” (Melville 143).
In Herman Melville’s short story, Bartleby the Scrivener, a metaphor compares Bartleby to a millstone and exhibits the impact of his burdening nature on the narrator’s well-being. Bartleby’s permanent resigning from the duties of his job with no explanation baffles the narrator. Upon relinquishing his responsibilities, Bartleby puts himself in a position in which he cannot be of any worth to the narrator. The narrator admits that Bartleby has become a “millstone” to him, “...not only useless… but afflictive to bear” (Melville 143). Similar to a millstone, Bartleby’s cold, unmoving nature and lack of dedication contribute to his burden on the narrator. Though he realizes that Bartleby solely exists as but another responsibility, the narrator cannot bring himself to abandon him, as he feels morally obliged to help Bartleby in some way. Bartleby’s seemingly meaningless decisions and nonexistent motives are represented by the large, unmoving nature of the millstone, which peddles the narrator’s moral dilemma.
Allusion
“For the first time in my life a feeling of overpowering stinging melancholy seized me… The bond of a common humanity now drew me irresistibly to gloom. A fraternal melancholy! For both I and Bartleby were sons of Adam” (Melville 139).
The biblical allusion in Herman Melville’s short story, Bartleby the Scrivener, highlights the overpowering pity the narrator feels for Bartleby. Though Bartleby’s irritable nature often intrudes upon the narrator’s patience, Bartleby’s actions invoke a sense of pity within the narrator as well. Upon discovering the fact that Bartleby lives in his office, the narrator feels an immense amount of “stinging”, “fraternal melancholy” grip him as he realizes that he and Bartleby are “sons of Adam” (Melville 139). According to the Bible, Adam is the first man created by God, placed in the Garden of Eden, and thus the father of all mankind; every human alive today is the descendant of Adam. Adam serves as a symbol for unity in this context because, despite the differences that Bartleby and the narrator posses, they can unite under the common label: human. This biblical allusion describes the brotherly bond that keeps the narrator from abandoning Bartleby; the narrator feels sympathetic towards Bartleby as he considers their shared humanity. The fact that the narrator has the capacity to feel a human connection with a man characterized by an unhuman deposition shows the closeness of the bond.
Diction
“Mortified as I was at his behavior, and resolved as I had been to dismiss him when I entered my office, nevertheless I strangely felt something superstitious knocking at my heart, and forbidding me to carry out my purpose, and denouncing me for a villain if I dared to breath one bitter word against this forlornness of mankind” (Melville 141).
In Herman Melville’s short story, Bartleby the Scrivener, the diction in the word “villain” defines the narrator’s morals and principles, which influence the way he treats Bartleby. Having just found out about Bartleby’s stubbornness, the narrator finds himself caught between his realistic interpretation of Bartleby as a liability and his moral compass. Though the narrator’s businesslike aspect of his mind feels that Bartleby, harboring such an attitude, cannot be of much use to him, he feels “something superstitious” keep him from firing Bartleby (Melville 141). Thus, the irritability that Bartleby invokes within the narrator proves useless when compared to the sympathy the narrator has for Bartleby. The narrator feels as though the act of upsetting Bartley would be a universal offense on the “forlornness of mankind”, thus making him a “villain” (Melville 141). Though the narrator’s justification for letting Bartleby go exists as a valid one, he does not wish to become the villain of Bartleby’s life, a life so full of the pains of humanity. The stark, negative connotation around the word “villain” causes the narrator to consider the situation through a black and white lens; he assesses his possible actions against Bartleby as either good or evil, beneficial or villainous. Though the narrator’s motives for firing Bartleby are far from evil, the narrator finds himself leaning in Bartleby’s favor in his internal struggle.
Descriptive Passage
“It is not seldom the case that, when a man is browbeaten in some unprecedented and violently unreasonable way, he begins to stagger in his own plainest faith. He begins, as it were, vaguely to sumrise that, wonderful as it may be, all the jusitce and all the reason is on the other side. Accordingly, it any disinterested persons are present, he turns to them for some reinforcement of his own faltering mind” (Melville 133).
This descriptive passage in Herman Melville’s short story, Bartleby the Scrivener, provides insight into the effect of Bartleby’s stubbornness on the narrator’s mentality. The narrator describes the human tendency of frantically grappling at others’ opinions when one’s own belief falters. In this scene, Bartleby bluntly refuses to perform a fundamental aspect of his job, which attacks the narrator in a “... violently unreasonable way…” (Melville 133). Bartleby’s genuine yet uncalled for “I prefer not to” baffles the narrator, and causes him to doubt his own understanding of acceptable and unacceptable actions. Projecting his internalized debates, he allows Nippers and Turkey to talk over the situation, as he seeks some “... reinforcement of his own faltering mind” (Melville 133). The narrator’s generalization of human tendency further characterizes himself as human, a human subject to the frustration that Bartleby invokes within him. The effects of Bartleby’s unusual behavior cause the narrator to fall back into common human tendencies for a sense of comfort or stability.
First Person Narration
“His steadiness, his freedom from all dissipation, his incessant industry… his great stillness, his unalterableness of demeanor under all circumstances, made him a valuable acquisition. One prime thing was this - he was always there - first in the morning, continually through the day, and the last at night” (Melville 136).
In Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville, the narrator’s first person narration reveals the positive effect Bartleby has on him during the early days of Bartleby’s employment. As the narrator becomes increasingly situated with Bartleby’s unusual presence, he finds a comfort in Bartleby’s “unalterableness of demeanor”, or consistency (Melville 136). In the narrator’s perspective, it seems as though Bartleby is “always there” in the office. Bartleby’s omnipresent nature makes him a figure of familiarity for the narrator and provides a sense of stability. His “incessant industry” contributes to the narrator’s belief of Bartleby maintaining his dependable, honest, and hardworking characteristics. Bartleby’s consistent, reliable work ethic shapes the narrator’s perspective of him. Though Bartleby’s blunt refusal to carry out simple tasks often times confuses and frustrates the narrator, his consistency redeems his value.
Ann Evrona is a college student who (somehow!) manages to write on her busy schedule. She enjoys karate and Netflix with family, and she is from Long Island (NY).
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