This not being a logical solution, he moves on to the question of whether or not Bartleby could be considered a vagrant. That, allowing Bartleby’s occupation of his offices would result in him having to “mason up his remains in the wall”, when he died. His though process begins with the suggestion Melville is calling on the reader’s “little guy” to relate to the subconsciously driven behaviour of the characters.Īs the employer becomes more agitated, as a result of his circle of friends and acquaintances’ comments, Melville shares his mental gymnastics with the reader. He then replies, “Oh, certainly, sir, if you prefer that I should”, upon being asked to leave the room. After suggesting that Bartleby “would prefer to take a quart of good ale every day”, Turkey states, “Oh. Nippers, Turkey and the lawyer becomes filled with the word “prefer”, the expression which has caused everyone such grief up to that point. How many times would we have used this statement in our lives if we had no fear of the repercussions? As the story progresses and Bartleby’s behaviour is becoming the norm, the banter between Mr. To some degree, the “little guy” in us is somewhat envious of Bartleby’s statement, “I prefer not to”. When his conscience no longer provides for rationalizing the acceptance of Bartleby’s strange behaviour, Melville invites the reader to appreciate the behaviour’s usefulness. Since there is no excusing Bartleby’s behaviour, Melville finds solace in rationalizing his reaction and the reader is quick to empathize, having found no explanation for the behaviour. Having just been introduced to Bartleby and still formulating a first impression, the audience is required to grapple with a logical explanation for his troubling behaviour.Īt that point, Melville introduces his first bit of comic relief, enlisting the audience’s empathy in stating, “To befriend Bartleby to humour him in his strange wilfulness will cost me little or nothing, while I lay up in my soul what will eventually prove a sweet morsel for my conscience”. When asked to proofread a copy, Bartleby’s outrageous answer is, “I prefer not to”. Bartleby’s reactions to his superior are so unlike those which most of us have ever experienced, human nature causes the reader to attempt to apply logic to his eccentricities. Throughout the story Melville relates the many troubling incidents experienced with the mysterious copier. For this reason, Bartleby the Scrivener, is a tragedy. Regardless of the two perspectives from which Herman Melville relates the story of Bartleby, the telling of a tragic story sprinkled with humorous subjectivity, the actual story line, through its progression should determine its categorization. In fact, had Melville not peppered the story with his narrative, light-hearted, internal musings, and shared with the audience a “grasping at straw” style of rationalization, the main theme could only have been categorized as tragic. Regardless of the two perspectives from which Herman Melville relates the story of Bartleby, the telling of a tragic story with humorous subjectivity, the story’s plot and outcome determines the categorization. As his perspective swings between the objective and subjective, so swings the theme from comedy to tragedy. If ever there are two opposite themes offered in the telling of one tale, it is in Herman Melville‘s short story, “Bartleby the Scrivener”.
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