The Reliable Narrator In 'Bartleby The Scrivener'

In both stories, after the characters are introduced, one begins to see situational changes within the characters. Bartleby, who once was a skillful, efficient worker and a valuable asset to the lawyer, has now ceased working and his superficial façade is none changing. He presents his employer with a constant and passive answer of “I would prefer not to” to all request and inquiries presented by the lawyer. He unwilling leaves the premises of his job and the lawyer try to put up with him but he finds his annoyance of Bartleby’s actions unbearable. Such as when he found that Bartleby was staying the office after all others had gone home and refusal to do any work and take any money from the lawyer and leave. Even the lawyer seems to be walled in by Bartleby and Bartleby’s

Another literary element that is used to convey the narrator's attitude towards Bartleby is through point of view. In Bartleby, the Scrivener the point of view that is used is that of first person narration. By Melville's use of first person narration it allows us to get close to Bartleby but still be confused and in awe of him and since we see him through the eyes of his employer we can quickly identify with the narrator's confusing feelings over Bartleby. An example of this appears on page 127 in paragraph 6; "I sat awhile in perfect silence, rallying my stunned faculties. Immediately it occurred to me that my ears had deceived me, or Bartleby had entirely misunderstood my meaning. I repeated my request in the clearest tone I could assume; but in quite as clear a one came the previous reply, "I would prefer not to." Here Bartleby has just refused orders from his boss who sits at his desk stunned at wheat he has just heard. This is not the only time throughout the story in which Bartleby does this and always with the same words; "I would prefer not to" which only frustrates and confuses the narrator. Another contributor to the narrator's growing

He, obviously, is the narrator, and the person whom we see the story through. He gives us his opinions on the matters at hand, and we see the book through his viewpoint. The traits described above allow him to be such a great narrator, for he can get people to confide in him, and relay this information to the reader.

In "Bartleby the Scrivener," Melville chooses his order of character introduction in order to illustrate what kind of man the lawyer is. The entire story depends upon the lawyer's reactions and responses to Bartleby and upon the reader accepting the lawyer's reactions, responses, and actions as wholly sincere and in keeping with his character. The descriptions of these characters are also really part of the setting. The office is cramped and uninspiring, and those who work there could be considered misfits. Turkey and Nippers together make one effective worker, and Ginger Nuts is nothing but a glorified errand boy, though he's supposed to be an apprentice. Once we meet them, the tone of the office is set and helps prepare us for the inimitable Bartleby the scrivener who "would prefer not to."

I should have been quite regulated with his application, had he been cheerfully industrious. But he wrote on silently, palely, mechanically." (Melville 9). This nature of working disturbed the employer because he noticed the machine-like style of Bartleby's. Bartleby's lack of human qualities bothered the narrator, as he did later become concerned about Bartleby's condition and began to inquire of his past.

Lastly, the last employee The Lawyer describes is Bartleby. According to the Lawyer, Bartle is, “one of those beings of whom nothing is ascertainable, except from the original sources, and in his case those are very small” (Melville 1). To him, Bartleby is the most interesting scriveners of all time. Bartleby joins the office after getting hired when he saw an ad placed by the Lawyer, which at that time needed extra help in his office. In the

In Bartleby, The Scrivener, Bartleby serves as the main character with his distinct nature that everyone is trying to decipher. Despite the attention around Bartleby, much of the story also revolves around the narrator, the lawyer, who tells the story through his perspective; this implies that the lawyer’s ideology and perception of societal norms shape the interactions between the lawyer and Bartleby but also how the story is told. Take for example, if the lawyer disregards Bartleby and fires him on the spot, this story would have ended rather quickly and been much different than it actually is. With this said, the lawyer’s peculiar attraction to Bartleby’s strange behavior can be explained by the lawyer’s innate ideas of social norms and instruction that stems from the behavior of the other scriveners and his own experiences.

In Herman Melville’s short story Bartleby the Scrivener, Bartleby is the hero. The reasons as to why Bartleby is considered the hero of the story are that first, the character refuses to write in his job in the law office. He even starves himself to death by refusing to eat, but in the end, the spirit of Bartleby still remains alive and haunts the narrator. Throughout his life, the narrator remains haunted by the spiritual pride and continues to struggle with the principles of morality and justice. Bartleby is also a hero because he not only shows his courage towards confronting the society using his will power, but he also shapes the conscience of the

It is without any exception that the relationships between characters in any masterful piece of literature defines truly the themes which the author wishes to convey. They are the pillars on which the rest of the novel is securely built upon and is dependant on. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, she uses these relationships to create parallels and foil characters to develop and securely establish the subjects of growth and family; by doing so, she highlights the key contrasts between these characters to complicate and deepen the characterization of the main protagonists. She builds up these pairs of foil characters exquisitely to reveal the themes in her novel that firstly, the situation in which a person is found does not define their character, it is their reaction and response that determines their worth; secondly, that the concept of family is not solely dependant on blood and

The style of this story was not the greatest in the beginning, but got better the further into the story I got. As a reader, I found it very hard to concentrate on the first few pages because it had a very slow start to it. Once Bartleby was introduced, however, it was much easier to concentrate. The author created a great sense of mystery around Bartleby, and that is what pulled me into the story. I wanted to figure out who Bartleby was, where he came from, and why he behaved the

There are times in life when people become their own demons whilst there are other times that life is not fair to some people. When some people face problems in life, and they cry out for help, sometimes they get that help they need. On the other hand, some victims refuse the help offered to them. In “Bartleby the Scrivener,” written by Melville Herman, the narrator shouted, “Ah Bartleby! Ah Humanity!” when Bartleby died; an indication of devastation from him after attempts to help Bartleby, a scrivener in his office failed and let to his death. This shows the lawyer was caring, sympathetic, regretful, and devastated at the death of Bartleby.

Looking at the very first time Bartleby refuses to examine the copies, the reader might think that the narrator is going to dislike him very much, but this is not true at all. When the narrator first hears the refusal, he comes to anger very quickly. He is baffled at Bartleby’s response and proceeds to ask his other employees what their opinions might be. However, the passive nature of Bartleby turns the narrator’s anger into an appreciation for the character. The narrator even tells the reader that Bartleby “means no mischief; it is plain he intends no insolence…. he is useful to me” (Melville 152). This attitude holds strong until Bartleby refuses to do any work at all. The narrator’s thoughts turn into anger again, and he tells Bartleby that “the time has come, you must quit this place” (Melville 159). Nonetheless, after Bartleby also refuses this command, the narrator takes on the responsibility of caring for the poor man. This type of change reflects all of the characters’ changing views of Bartleby throughout the whole story.

I think the idea from transcendentalism that there is no form of superior intelligence is the reason as to why Bartleby “prefers not to”(6) in all forms of requests. This is the moment in the story where Bartleby assumes the position of a transcendentalist. This point is where he breaks free of societal duties and refuses all help from the narrator, denying money and shelter from him. Although critiques such as Walter E. Anderson argue that Bartleby’s isolation shows “Christian-moral reading is the correct context” to assume, I disagree. There are allusions to biblical texts such as the narrator referring to himself and Bartleby as “sons of Adam”(11). But I think Bartleby is isolated to show how he is alone from everyone, living in a cubical, and being surrounded by walls. Although Christianity gives feelings of isolation with God, Bartleby is isolated with his spiritual self, saying he “would prefer to make no change at all”(21). Bartleby determines his fate by questioning himself and his societal roles. He does not look to Christ in any form, not believing in a higher intellectual form. Instead he finds serenity in his civil disobedience.

Poe starts out with a man, by the name of Montresor, wanting revenge on another man, named Fortunato. Most of the story takes place deep in the Montresor family catacombs. As Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs, he chains Fortunato up to a small hole in a wall, bricks it over, and leaves Fortunato to die. Even through the traits of anger, hatred, and revenge, as the story progresses on, Montresor, the main character in “The Cask of Amontillado”, starts to show signs of feeling guilty for wanting to murder Fortunato.

The epistolary structure of the novel and the subsequent use of multiple narrators forces the reader to judge for themselves what is true and what is dramatized from the letters. Due to the story being retold from the point of view of Victor the reader is more likely to understand why Victor and Walton deem the monster a malevolent and insensitive brute.