Does The Social Inequality In Melville's Paradise Of Bachelors

The American voice echoes through its literature with the power to change established ideas and challenge stereotypes. Blending together commentary and social insight by expressing feelings and experiences of its people. Writers helping a nation come to terms with modern developments by engaging political and social issues in their publications. Herman Melville was one of those voices when he created a moral story identifying the results of economic progress as it consumes the democratic idealism of the American identity. In his pair of Narratives, The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids Herman Melville questions the effect of emerging industrialization on societal inequality by not only juxtaposing two separate narratives to present …show more content…
Melville’s attitude can be seen through the narrator of each story. In The Paradise of Bachelors was excited about his inclusion to the dinner party, and intoxicated by the lavish gluttony that was taking place there conveying a real pleasure in participating in this heaven for bachelors. Contrasting with The Tartarus of Maids, in which the narrator is horrified by the enslavement of humanity by the machinery of industry and the dehumanizing effect of the new technology being dominate over living, breathing people. A closer look at Melville’s word choice reveals a contrasting tone that supports the juxtaposition in attitude between the two narratives. Starting in the title with “paradise” meaning heaven, and “Tartarus” the Greek word for hell Melville shows a carefully crafted allegoric contrast in the stories that continues through the proceeding lines. Melville continues by creating the setting for which each story takes place in the same manner by using words like “charming”, “delectable” and “dreamy” in his description of The Paradise of Bachelors. Juxtaposed against his description of The Tartarus of Maids where Melville uses words like “cheap”, “blank”, and “comfortless” in describing the factory. Furthermore, Melville’s attitude for each narrative is found in the the emotional shading as well with careful word choice. Such as use the line “The human voice was banished from the spot.” From The Tartarus of Maids and “All the time, in flowing wine, they most earnestly expressed their sincerest wishes for the entire well-being and lasting hygiene of the gentlemen on the right and on the left” in The Paradise of Bachelors. By juxtaposing his tone and attitude between the individual stories and then publishing them together Melville increased the impact