Bartleby the Hero

            First impressions are not everything. For instance, at first reading of Herman Melville’s short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street”, I was left aggravated and searching for meaning. However, through closer inspection it is easy to see that this fiction has subtle depth and understated meaning throughout its paragraphs. We are introduced to a scrivener named Bartley, who appears lazy as he repeats that he would “prefer not to” (Melville, par 21) do any type of work at all, as well as his boss who appears intellectually endowed and merely a victim of Bartleby’s strange ways. As you will see appearances can be deceiving. Truly, Bartleby is the hero of Herman Melville’s story in his refusal to participate in a workplace that represents the sad, dreary atmosphere of a bureaucratic, industrialized society.

            First, let us examine the Narrator. He is an older, well-educated man who thinks highly of himself and his place in society. He is the epitome of capitalism. “My avocations had been largely increased. The good old office, now extinct in the State of New-York, of a Master in Chancery, had been conferred upon me.” (Melville, Par 4) He is very proud of his accomplishments. Also, he could be described as a calloused man, “The late John Jacob Astor, a personage little given to poetic enthusiasm, had no hesitation in pronouncing my first grand point to be prudence; my next, method. (Melville, par 3) He is proud to be a man that is admittedly very smart and methodical in the business world. However, for all the business sense that he possesses he lacks compassion and human empathy. This is evident in the way he interacts with his employees. He refers to his other scriveners by the way of nicknames and can readily list their faults; “The difficulty was, he (turkey) was apt to be altogether too energetic. There was a strange, inflamed, flurried, flighty recklessness of activity about him.” (Melville, par 6) The lawyer sees his scriveners only for their faults. This is important because he interacts with Bartleby in the same manner, hardened and aloof. Never really paying much attention to Bartleby as a person until his productivity begins to suffer and thus affects the narrators business. Eventually, when Bartleby “prefers not to” (Melville, par 21) do anymore copying and is no longer beneficial to the narrators business he only wishes to be rid of Bartley so that he does not negatively impact his agency or way of life.

            In this story, the narrator is a symbol for modern capitalism. In this new workplace employees are replaceable. Self-worth is ascertained only through the work that you can provide. This is truly a story about Wall Street and its influence on society and the human condition.

            Next, let us examine the hero of our story. Bartleby is first introduced to the reader when he answers an advertisement placed by the nameless narrator. He is hired by the lawyer to copy law documents by hand. Bartleby is described by the narrator as “pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, incurably forlorn!” (Melville, par 15) However, in the beginning Bartleby’s odd demeanor doesn’t bother the lawyer. He is a young man who is very good at his job and the lawyer believes his quiet manner will do well to balance out the temperaments of his other employees. “At first Bartleby did an extraordinary quantity of writing. As if long famishing for something to copy, he seemed to gorge himself on my documents. There was no pause for digestion. He ran a day and night line, copying by sun-light and by candle-light.” (Melville, par 18) However, when the work of a scrivener fails to fulfill Bartleby and the narrator continues to belittle him and his coworkers, he decides that he would “prefer not to” (Melville, par 21).  Upon analysis, it is understood that Bartleby is not simply a lazy worker; he is actually a very skilled scrivener that lacks motivation. Although, at first glance, Bartleby would be considered to be lonely and unhappy, it is his lack of human connections that allows him to be disconnected from the world. This separation from society allows him to be completely free off the pressures of the lawyer’s world to fit in and gain acceptance. He has the capacity to do as he desires.  Therefore, Bartleby decides to follow his own principals and not become a soulless product of the narrator’s hardened world of capitalism.

            Bartleby symbolizes the working class of the American society. Creativity, self-worth, and personal relationships have no place on Wall Street. Big business became the governing force of American life. Society became less concerned with a person’s overall well-being and instead focused on the bottom line of production and currency.  Bartleby is the hero of Herman Melville’s story because of his refusal to participate in a workplace that represents the sad, dreary atmosphere of a bureaucratic, industrialized society. He was very talented at his job he simply refused not to work once he was treated like another nameless and replaceable worker. Although, in the end Bartley dies in prison, he does so on his terms. He is the hero because he does not allow himself to be silenced; he makes a lasting impact on the narrator and does not become another product of capitalism.

Works Cited:

Melville, Herman. "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street." Bartleby. N.p., 2011. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://www.bartleby.com/129/>.