"Bartleby the Scrivener" is an interesting tale of a pathetic man who
seems to have no reason for living, and the lawyer/narrator who takes him
in. The narrator is a lawyer on Wall Street, who knew and worked with
Bartleby, and who befriended him. The narrator begins the story with,
I believe that no materials exist for a full and satisfactory
biography of this man †Bartleby was one of those beings of whom
nothing is ascertainable, except from the original sources, and in his
case those are very small. What my own astonished eyes saw of
Bartleby, that is all I know of him, except, indeed, one vague report
which will appear in the sequel" (Melville).
Thus, the narrator not only begins the story by introducing Bartleby,
he leads the reader to understand Bartleby was very special and quite
unknown. The narrator's purpose in the story is certainly to tell the
tale, since he is a survivor, and Bartleby is not. However, the narrator's
purpose is also to illustrate how he was transformed by Bartleby, and how
this secretive man, who seemed to have nothing to live for, touched so many
of those around him, just by being who he was. The narrator does not
always want to look at himself through Bartleby's eyes, and this is another
clue to his own character. He says, "And I trembled to think that my
contact with the scrivener had already and seriously affected me in a
mental way" (Melville). Unfortunately, his contact did affect him in a
"mental way," for he will never be the same again, and he understands this.
Thus, the tale is as much about the narrator as it is about Bartleby, for
the narrator makes an important transformation during the story, and
becomes a more compassionate and caring man, while Bartleby simply gives up
and dies. The narrator notes about himself, "Gradually I slid into the
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