![]() ![]() Whether Bartleby has the right to kill himself through passive resistance-and whether The Lawyer should have endeavored to help him further-is up to the reader to determine. Herman Melvilles Bartleby, the Scrivener, a thought-provoking novella with excellent prose, addresses two of the sides of human beings - the deep and empathising thought process of the narrator and the self-isolating and self-imposed degressive spirit of the main character. Further, when Bartleby winds up in prison and The Lawyer returns to Bartleby to offer him good food to eat to keep him alive, again Bartleby resists, preferring not to eat until he, presumably, dies. Some critics view Bartleby as a precursor to absurdist literature like Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, highlighting the incredibly modern nature of this mid-19th-century short story. ![]() At this point, Bartleby becomes a testament to the limits of charity (and the inherent self-annihilating flaw of extreme passive resistance), as when The Lawyer returns to his office to offer Bartleby his old job back, or to get him a new job, or to take Bartleby into his own home until they can determine a better solution, Bartleby resists all of these efforts. Herman Melville’s short story Bartleby, the Scrivener was published anonymously in 1853 to little recognition. The lawyer treats Turkey, perpetually impoverished and a man of so small an income (7), with patience for his eccentricities. The concept of charity, or acts of charity, is present in the interactions between the lawyer and Turkey and Bartleby. Eventually, Bartleby’s passive resistance becomes more extreme and he refuses to do even the basic requirements of his copying job, The Lawyer tries to fire Bartleby, who prefers not to vacate The Lawyer’s office, even after The Lawyer changes offices and leaves Bartleby behind. Charity is a central theme throughout Bartleby. Further, Bartleby rebuffs any of The Lawyer’s attempts to learn about Bartleby by talking with him, revealing nothing to The Lawyer about his beliefs, his family, his relationships, or his personal history. Bartleby is also a testament to the inherent failure present in language: it is revealed that Bartleby previously worked at the Dead Letter Office, where his task was to destroy lost or undelivered letters. While Bartleby begins as an exemplary employee, he soon says he “would prefer not to” do any of the tasks The Lawyer asks of him other than write. By the story’s end, Bartleby therefore becomes an antagonist to The Lawyer’s goal of getting the most productivity out of his workers. Our Reading Guide for Bartleby the Scrivener and Benito Cereno by Herman Melville includes a Book Club Discussion Guide, Book Review, Plot Summary-Synopsis. Bartleby’s actions throughout the story come to embody the idea of passive resistance. The narrator of Bartleby the Scrivener begins the story by introducing the reader to the law office on. ![]()
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