Similarities Between The Birthmark And Bartleby The Scrivener

It’s not uncommon to find a classic short story or book that presents a theme or moral that can make the reader think, or perhaps broaden one’s horizons, and give them a deeper understanding about the world around us. Several short stories can be examined including: “The Birthmark”, “A White Heron”, and “Bartleby: The Scrivener”. The authors of these stories act as “moral purifiers,” presenting their case through their creative words that, left up to the reader, may have a positive impact upon society.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of “the Birthmark”, acts as a moral purifier as he presents his case through his story. Literary expert, Ronald Cassill, claims that Hawthorne was determined to pass on the idea that women are perfect the way they …show more content…
She attempts to present her case through her words to ultimately have a positive impact upon society permanently. Gwen L. Nagel is a literary critic that is known for her analysis on, “A White Heron”. Jewett, throughout her story, establishes a character that represents people in the real world as well as a problem that the world faces. Nagel claims that, “Sylvia, like many other heroines in Jewett's work, has a close relationship with nature, a relationship that is threatened by the intruder into this pastoral world” (Nagel). To establish a theme and make an attempt to act as a moral purifier, the author must first establish the problem and identify it similarly to the real world problem. As the critic claims, Jewett has established several characters in her many stories, as well as “A White Heron”, which shows that she is attempting several different times to help the world be a better place. Throughout the story, the different struggles of making the right choice are presented constantly as the protagonist looks at her various options and the certain consequences that shall follow. Nagel, literary critic, claims, “By remaining silent when the man presses her for information about the heron's nest, she chooses to preserve the heron rather than betray her woodland friend. Her choice requires that she sacrifice both the money (a sizeable sum to the girl and her grandmother) and …show more content…
Melville’s story, “Bartleby: The Scrivener”, caused many literary experts to analyze the text and conclude to why it was written. Many different critics may agree on one reason to why it was written or one critic may be stuck between several reasons. Literary critics, including Kelly King Howes, analyzed Melville’s short story and expressed their thoughts. Howes understands Melville’s frustration and claims, “Melville's allegorical tale of an individual's passive resistance and another's attempt to understand his behavior has produced a fascinating variety of conjectures about what the characters represent and what, in fact, Melville meant” (Howes). During the time that Melville wrote his story, he was in a dark time due to everything going on around him. He was confused and his short story reflected that. The story goes from a very light to mood to becoming very dark and the critic sees this throughout the story. He claims, “Despite its elements of humor, the story's end is tragic, for Bartleby is unable to escape the walls that surround him—whether those walls are society's limits or some barrier inherent in his own personality—and he curls up on the prison floor and dies” (Howes). The story goes from light to dark just as Melville’s life did. Bartleby represents Melville and Bartleby continues to be trapped by society’s