Character in Bartleby

The story of “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” written by Herman Melville has two main characters: Bartleby and a lawyer. The story begins with the narrator, who is the lawyer, identifying himself as an elderly man who is “filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is best” and “[all] who know [him], consider [him] an eminently safe man” (Melville 109). This is shown in the scene where Bartleby, his new employee, refuses to help examine a small document with the lawyer (Melville 113-114). The narrator does not know how to handle this situation. Therefore, he plays it safe and avoids the conflict by attending to other matters (Melville 115) and delays the inevitable confrontation. The lawyer does not like confrontation; he would rather have time to think about the appropriate way to handle a situation. If time does not permit, he resorts to reasoning: “I began to reason with him” (Melville 114). This may make the lawyer appear to be either spineless or a problem solver. Another example of these characteristics is when the lawyer thou

The people who were not like him, he was able to answer why they act the way they do. The lawyer has always had interactions with people who are like him. Bartleby created his isolated life by not going anywhere outside of the office: "Bartleby never went to dinner "Bartleby never went anywhere" (Melville 115). In the scene where the lawyer tried to ask questions relating to his history, Bartleby"tms last reply was, "at present I prefer to give no answers" (Melville 120). The landlord of the building visited the lawyer and told him: Bartleby now persists in haunting the building generally" (Melville 128). Again, Bartleby chose his life and ultimately, his death. Once Bartleby"tms environment was changed and confined within prison walls, exposed to the outside world, Bartleby preferred not to live (Melville 130-131). The second time Bartleby "prefers not to", it was over an examination of a lengthy document that he prepared (Melville 114), the narrator thinks: "but there was something about Bartleby that not only strangely disarmed me, but, in a wonderful manner, touched and disconcerted me" (Melville114). ght how he could rid himself of Bartleby and came to the conclusion that he will move his office to another location (Melville 126-127). The narrator also takes a great interest in Bartleby because he has never come across a person of this kind. When the lawyer asked Bartleby to quit, Bartleby responded: "I would prefer not to quit you" (Melville 124).