The Many Allusions of Bartleby “Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street” is a complex story with many different components that contribute to its depth and meaning. One of the most important components would be the allusions, because they incorporate more subtle descriptions of the characters and allow the reader to interpret a whole other meaning to the story. The allusions within this story allow the reader to discover the deeper themes of isolation and corrupt American capitalism that Melville are trying to portray. Multiple allusions that come from “Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street” refer to passages and events from the bible. One of these includes the reference to the Denial of Peter which appears in the New Testament.
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In this, Melville creates a European-Roman contrast relating to the structure of the narrator’s office. Roman civilization was very structured and the narrator’s office building was quite chaotic and unorganized. Melville’s contrast is an important component of the story because it shows his critique of American capitalism (Andrew Kahn). Not only does Melville show his critique of American capitalism through the bust of Cicero, he shows this in the story when the narrator says “Think of it. Of a Sunday, Wall-street is deserted as Petra; and every night of every day it is as emptiness.”. According to James C. Wilson, this passage relates to “the Wall Street of Arabia ... a very wealthy city inhabited by wily merchants renowned throughout the ancient world for their gross display of, and obsession with, wealth.” (Andrew Kahn). This allusion creates an important comparison of Wall-street in the book to the Wall Street of Arabia and further proving Melville’s negative outlook of American capitalism. All of these allusions are necessary components to the story. As a result of them, the meanings behind the story are brought out for the reader to discover and interpret. Without them, Bartleby’s isolation and ghost-like appearance would remain unknown; as would Melville’s low opinion of Wall-Street and American
In this, Melville creates a European-Roman contrast relating to the structure of the narrator’s office. Roman civilization was very structured and the narrator’s office building was quite chaotic and unorganized. Melville’s contrast is an important component of the story because it shows his critique of American capitalism (Andrew Kahn). Not only does Melville show his critique of American capitalism through the bust of Cicero, he shows this in the story when the narrator says “Think of it. Of a Sunday, Wall-street is deserted as Petra; and every night of every day it is as emptiness.”. According to James C. Wilson, this passage relates to “the Wall Street of Arabia ... a very wealthy city inhabited by wily merchants renowned throughout the ancient world for their gross display of, and obsession with, wealth.” (Andrew Kahn). This allusion creates an important comparison of Wall-street in the book to the Wall Street of Arabia and further proving Melville’s negative outlook of American capitalism. All of these allusions are necessary components to the story. As a result of them, the meanings behind the story are brought out for the reader to discover and interpret. Without them, Bartleby’s isolation and ghost-like appearance would remain unknown; as would Melville’s low opinion of Wall-Street and American