Bartleby
Bartleby by Herman Melville is a story that not many people can relate to. A person by the name of Bartley is hired by a lawyer (narrator) to copy documents, and without specific reason, Bartleby decides not to work. This eventually leads to many decisions for the narrator to make, which almost drives him to the edge of insanity. Melville's beliefs that man must struggle against the conditions of his existence is clearly shown through the narrator's decisions and conditions surrounding Bartleby. Throughout the story, Bartleby 'prefers not to' examine the documents that he copied himself. The narrator thinks that this is strange because Bartleby is such a hardworking individual, and he refuses the narrator with such calmness that he finds it hard to scold him. This problem conti
The narrator does redeem himself however, since he has done everything he could to save Bartleby. The narrator goes through hell in his own conscience because of the conditions Bartleby and society has put him through. The narrator's clients are also starting to notice Bartleby's presence in the office, which ultimately causes the narrator to decide to abandon Bartleby and move to a new office. The narrator decides to leave Bartleby alone, and in the end, Bartleby is thrown into jail and dies. The narrator, Turkey, and Nippers agree that Bartleby is being unreasonable and disrespectful to his employer. This directly relates to Melville's belief that the only way man can redeem himself is through loving his fellowman. This causes the narrator to reason with him personally, and it takes time away from his business. The narrator even offers his home for Bartleby, which can be considered the ultimate act of charity. The narrator's redemption also allows him to theorize other reasons for Bartleby's death at the end of the story. This causes confusion in the narrator's conscience, since his generosity is so calmly declined. This makes it clear that the narrator feels that he is responsible for Bartleby's death, since he is the one who decides to abandon the office to escape Bartleby. In one incident where all of the employees are required to examine a rather large document, Bartleby declines to work with the group. The narrator therefore tries to do his part by offering Bartleby to stay at his house, which Bartleby promptly refuses. Firstly Bartleby's refusal affects the other employees in the office. Therefore, the narrator's decision scars his conscience and put him through hell.
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