Herman Melville on Capitalism?
A person’s character only fully comes into play when they interact with their environment. “Literary geography is typically about humans inhabiting spaces, and at the same time the spaces that inhabit humans” (Foster 165-166) They need something to go on. A character must have cloths, or land, or air that they breathe. These things are given to them by location. It affects the characters thoughts and actions, and in turn this affects their peers and their environment. It’s a cycle where nothing gets left untouched. “It can be revelatory of virtually any element in the work. Theme? Sure. Symbol? No problem. Plot? Without a doubt” (Foster 166). Since it’s a big element in a piece of writing, place holds significance. The significance of Bartleby’s story taking place on Wall Street is a comment about America’s fixation on money and its processing of that money—capitalism.
The place Bartleby finds employment at is an office on Wall Street. It's a modest and monotonous scene. “At one end they looked upon the white wall...this view might have been considered...deficient in 'life.'" (Melville 4) Melville puts in some humor, but continues his description with, "My windows commanded …show more content…
He has no purpose for it, but he works. He copies as a scrivener. At the same time, he is copying his peers, imitating their depressing rut with capitalism. But Bartleby does what they can’t even think to do; he contemplates on what’s beyond the brick wall. What else is there besides the money and material obsessed culture he finds himself in? There is nothing else though. Even though Bartleby may know there are better options out there, he can’t leave the room with the limited view. The narrator sees this behavior and is miffed by it. So to should be the readers, and yet this is the point. Why not leave the room? Or more accurately, why not leave capitalism? It seems the obvious
A person’s character only fully comes into play when they interact with their environment. “Literary geography is typically about humans inhabiting spaces, and at the same time the spaces that inhabit humans” (Foster 165-166) They need something to go on. A character must have cloths, or land, or air that they breathe. These things are given to them by location. It affects the characters thoughts and actions, and in turn this affects their peers and their environment. It’s a cycle where nothing gets left untouched. “It can be revelatory of virtually any element in the work. Theme? Sure. Symbol? No problem. Plot? Without a doubt” (Foster 166). Since it’s a big element in a piece of writing, place holds significance. The significance of Bartleby’s story taking place on Wall Street is a comment about America’s fixation on money and its processing of that money—capitalism.
The place Bartleby finds employment at is an office on Wall Street. It's a modest and monotonous scene. “At one end they looked upon the white wall...this view might have been considered...deficient in 'life.'" (Melville 4) Melville puts in some humor, but continues his description with, "My windows commanded …show more content…
He has no purpose for it, but he works. He copies as a scrivener. At the same time, he is copying his peers, imitating their depressing rut with capitalism. But Bartleby does what they can’t even think to do; he contemplates on what’s beyond the brick wall. What else is there besides the money and material obsessed culture he finds himself in? There is nothing else though. Even though Bartleby may know there are better options out there, he can’t leave the room with the limited view. The narrator sees this behavior and is miffed by it. So to should be the readers, and yet this is the point. Why not leave the room? Or more accurately, why not leave capitalism? It seems the obvious