Bartleby The Scrivener Essay

“Bartleby, the Scrivener” by Herman Melville tells the story of a mysterious character by the name of Bartleby. The story takes place in a dreary office owned by an unnamed narrator. Bartleby is a very dull man, recently hired by the narrator, with a profound sense of melancholy, simply going about his work diligently yet without any passion. After Bartleby refuses to complete a task, the narrator becomes immensely intrigued in Bartleby and is somewhat frustrated for lacking to understand his actions and demeanor. This intrigue stems from the narrator seeing a reflection of himself in Bartleby. Knowing so little about Bartleby allows the narrator to project himself onto his worker and begin to identify with him over time. The narrator is typically a cool, calculating, and complacent man, yet when confronted with the enigma that is Bartleby, loses his frame and acts irrationally, alternating from lashing out at Bartleby to indulging him. …show more content…
Rather than simply seeing Bartleby as a projection of the narrator’s internal struggle of self, it can be interpreted as an active example of a weak minded person allowing this aspect of humanity to crush them. Bartleby often stares at the “unobstructed view of a lofty brick wall” while at the office. The wall represents a physical barrier trapping Bartleby within the confines of Wall Street, but also a metaphorical wall preventing him from finding the meaning and satisfaction that he cannot find. Rather than find a way to tear down the wall and discover his own meaning, he simply refuses to partake in the game of life. He allows the monotony and absurdity of life to tear him down rather than to fight against it and find meaning. Essentially, Bartleby may represent human weakness since he so easily succumbs to his depression regarding the mundane as opposed being a reflection of the narrator’s lost