In both “Bartleby the Scrivener” Herman Melville and “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead the main character goes through a traumatic experience or set of experiences.
Our main characters, Bartleby and Cora, have exceedingly different lives but they face the challenges associated with abuse. Cora, being a slave, suffers much more pain than Bartleby, but the way that these characters handle their troubles is what defines them.
It is often said that when someone’s world is darkest they shine the most. This is exactly what Cora did. A central theme in “The Underground Railroad” is breaking free of oppression, literally and mentally. Cora goes through a change internally when she meets Cesar. This is the first point in the book where …show more content…
Bartleby’s famous line “I would prefer not to” summarizes his outlook on the world. He believes that his submissive behavior will result in his mental issues subsiding. We, as the reader, can clearly see that Bartleby has submitted to the higher power of his depression and that this will not subside. In this way, he is much like Cora’s Grandmother. She believed that once she was on the plantation there was no escape from James and Terrance. Cora’s Grandmothers submissive behavior is what motivated Cora’s Mother to run from the Randall Plantation. While some may view Cora’s Grandmothers take on reality as realistic, I believe her pessimism only makes the situation grimmer. Ultimately, Bartleby is much the same. He cannot escape from his mind, and later the typist’s office. When Bartleby submits to himself he crumbles, and instead of helping himself he would just prefer not to. When these two characters accept their defeat they seal their own coffins. While they could have fought for themselves and their livelihood, both Bartleby and Cora’s Grandmother give in too soon. Both stories have characters that shine and fail to. Submissive and dominant behaviors play weightily into both stories and create a strange, but a significant cross between …show more content…
Cora and Bartleby are both underdogs and social rejects. Cora, socially rejected within plantation hierarchy, lives in the Hob and is treated as a disgusting being by all those who don’t live in the Hob. Very much the same, Bartleby is entirely homeless. We are not fully sure how he was even able to arrive to get the job for the lawyer. His lack of a home is even a major plot point once he begins to live in the office. While the circumstances concerning why they are underdogs are very different, they both must attempt to rise to the occasion. While this is no easy road for either, they at least both end with
Our main characters, Bartleby and Cora, have exceedingly different lives but they face the challenges associated with abuse. Cora, being a slave, suffers much more pain than Bartleby, but the way that these characters handle their troubles is what defines them.
It is often said that when someone’s world is darkest they shine the most. This is exactly what Cora did. A central theme in “The Underground Railroad” is breaking free of oppression, literally and mentally. Cora goes through a change internally when she meets Cesar. This is the first point in the book where …show more content…
Bartleby’s famous line “I would prefer not to” summarizes his outlook on the world. He believes that his submissive behavior will result in his mental issues subsiding. We, as the reader, can clearly see that Bartleby has submitted to the higher power of his depression and that this will not subside. In this way, he is much like Cora’s Grandmother. She believed that once she was on the plantation there was no escape from James and Terrance. Cora’s Grandmothers submissive behavior is what motivated Cora’s Mother to run from the Randall Plantation. While some may view Cora’s Grandmothers take on reality as realistic, I believe her pessimism only makes the situation grimmer. Ultimately, Bartleby is much the same. He cannot escape from his mind, and later the typist’s office. When Bartleby submits to himself he crumbles, and instead of helping himself he would just prefer not to. When these two characters accept their defeat they seal their own coffins. While they could have fought for themselves and their livelihood, both Bartleby and Cora’s Grandmother give in too soon. Both stories have characters that shine and fail to. Submissive and dominant behaviors play weightily into both stories and create a strange, but a significant cross between …show more content…
Cora and Bartleby are both underdogs and social rejects. Cora, socially rejected within plantation hierarchy, lives in the Hob and is treated as a disgusting being by all those who don’t live in the Hob. Very much the same, Bartleby is entirely homeless. We are not fully sure how he was even able to arrive to get the job for the lawyer. His lack of a home is even a major plot point once he begins to live in the office. While the circumstances concerning why they are underdogs are very different, they both must attempt to rise to the occasion. While this is no easy road for either, they at least both end with