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 continues as time goes on, and slowly Bartleby's refusal to work affects the materialistic part of the narrator's conscience. Firstly Bartleby's refusal affects the other employees in the office. 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, Turkey, and Nippers agree that Bartleby is being unreasonable and disrespectful to his employer. This causes the narrator to reason with him personally, and it takes time away from his business. Both Turkey and Nippers are also disgruntled from the fact that Bartleby isn't getting his fair share of work. 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.
             Although the narrator moves to a new office, he does not successfully leave behind Bartleby, who continues to have an affect on his conscience. When Bartleby refuses to leave the office of the new tenant, he is threatened with the possibility of imprisonment. The narrator therefore trie...