Moby The Scrivener

The American spirit has had since its inception during the American Revolution a strong sense that a person should be independent. Two American writers would set a philosophical debate of how a genuine, free-thinking person should conduct themselves. The first author is Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote the essay Self-Reliance, believed that all people should openly embrace their individuality. Also, he argued that you should be brazen about your individuality. The second author, Herman Melville is renowned for his book Moby Dick. Melville is viewed often as an ideological counterweight because he is critical of Emerson’s idealism and boldness about the American mindset and how to be a self-made person. His story, Bartleby the Scrivener, …show more content…
The steps are self-empowerment, self-projection, and self-respect. First, Emerson required that a person should, “Let a man then know his worth, and keep things under his feet” (8). It is such a pertinent theme, that he consistently urges the reader throughout the whole essay to believe in themselves and live their own lives. If a person lacked self-worth, they are damned to become mediocre cogs in the machine of society. Second, once a person has attained their own inner strength, Emerson articulated “If we cannot once rise to the sanctities of obedience and faith, let us at least resist our temptations; let us enter into the state of war…” (12). He says this because he is aware that non-conformity is a burden and society will punish non-conformists to the best of its ability. He wisely described how maintaining nonconformity is akin to declaring war, because he is urging non-conformists to openly fight back instead of hide in the shadows and avoid conflict. Third, his quote “Insist on yourself, never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life’s cultivation…” is the crucial final …show more content…
This story is a narrative of a lawyer recollecting about his scrivener Bartleby. The lawyer had three employees, Ginger Nut, Turkey and Nippers. All three employees have already been set up as sheep, as Turkey and Nippers work so well together benefitting the law firm and Turkey has the habit of saying “with submission”. Bartleby was an industrious person who the lawyer believed in would be a great asset to him. The conflict arises when the lawyer asks Bartleby to review his copies and Bartleby decides to have an inactive, passive and not defiant stand by responding with “I would prefer not to”. The lawyer was awestruck with a simple, polite, passive response could prevent him from committing Bartleby to do complete additional work than he is not responsible for. Even more striking, Bartleby isn’t even giving a definite no, he is only saying that he would prefer not to. Therefore, if the lawyer was more stubborn, he still could have could compel Bartleby to his wishes. The fact that Bartleby refuses to participate causes two different reactions. The coworkers are disdainful to Bartleby as he is technically giving them more work, but his defiance has also started to spread as Nippers said “this was the first and last time I would do another’s man business without pay.”