Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville is a short story that provokes readers to question what it truly means to be human. The depiction of Melville’s characters and emphasis of specific objects throughout the story become symbolic representations of human existence. Readers are compelled to understand human existence through the narrator’s recollection of Bartleby’s character. The relationship shared between the narrator and Bartleby plays an important role in the development of the story and the overall message Melville conveys in regards to human existence. Through analyzing the main characters and major symbols Melville depicts, an underlying meaning of human existence is revealed. In order to comprehend the story and identify the
