Introduction
Man tends to help others. But they tend to be selfish in certain aspects. Some help others to keep their religious values and morals. some do it out of fear of God. If you see from the positive side of it, there are a lot of good things about helping others. In a society where people are busy with their lifestyle, they tend to deviate a bit from the real intention of doing it. Man has become very self-centered and they don’t even know what‘s happening to his neighbor. They always think about their self-interest.
Herman Melville’s narrator
This topic can be discussed in the context of Herman Melville’s narrator in Bartleby.
The narrator is a lawyer who is also a Christian and thinks that helping others is his duty. He brings in different characters to narrate his office story and creates a sense of sympathy for himself among the readers. Bartleby is a peculiar character with vague expressions and eccentricities. The narrator is going out of their way to help his staff. When Bartleby had his vision problem the lawyer understands him well and relieves him from doing copy work. Later when he was in trouble the employer-provided him with food and accommodation. Everything he did for the good of Bartleby but he rejected all help and landed in a prison called’ Tombs’ the narrator organized food for him there.
Selfish motives
But if you look at the other side of the story this kindness shown to Bartleby is only the social responsibility of one person to the rest of the world. The narrator lacks in understanding his staff, be it Bartleby, Nippers, Turkey, or Ginger Nut. The author Melville highlights the fact that people know little about anyone even close to them.
They never bother to understand them well. Self–interest clouds the ability to know other people the narrator’s description about Bartleby itself shows how little he understands him. He comments ‘no material existence, for a full and satisfactory biography of this man’. The lawyer is giving reserved comments about his fellow staff and that itself shows his poor analysis of their characters. He uses these vague comments for other staff like Turkey, & Ginger Nut.
The narrator views sympathy and compassion towards Bartleby as a method of serving his self-interest. Even though Bartleby has worked with the narrator for years, he fails to convey a human aspect in his behavior of throwing him out He should have taken more interest to rectify the problem. Instead, he thought about his work and money and decided to dismiss him from work. Here self-interest dictates the ultimate removal of Bartleby from the narrator’s law office.
When the lawyer breaks the news to Bartleby, he is too shocked to hear it and he prefers not to go. The lawyer never bothers about Bartleby’s pathetic situation and never allows him to rectify his ways. Moreover, the narrator forced Bartleby to vacate the office premises which he had given as accommodation for him The narrator yells at him by asking “what earthly right have you to stay here? Do you pay any rent? Do you pay my taxes? Or is this property yours? ‘
These words of the narrator show his rationalized financial self–interest. William Bysshe Stein has identified the narrator with Judas for his rationalized financial self-interest in dealing with the scrivener. When Bartleby was very adamant about the “ I prefer not to go” attitude, the narrator didn’t have any other option but to take him to his place. As he had a poor idea about Bartleby’s character he tried to do so. Bartleby was not happy to take any help from others without doing any work. At the same time, the lawyer had to show society that he is a generous man.
When Bartleby is living in a prison called Tombs, the author has done a masterful job at personifying one’s inner self that many deals with yet few honestly acknowledge.
When Bartleby refuses food in the prison he was on a suicidal track and for his mental framework, anybody would have expected only this tragic end. If the narrator would have given slight importance to understand the character of Bartleby, this tragedy would have been averted. His self-interest stopped him from doing so.
Self-interest in helping others is a general trend for human beings. Man always keeps priority to his interest. He has his selfish motives behind helping others. Even though there are exceptions, those who never bother about the material benefits they get out of helping others. Financial aspects come as a hindrance to helping his fellow beings. Even top-level people keep an eye on their public image while helping others Some others help their fellows to get a good name in the society So everyone helps others for their self-interest only. Herman Melville’s Bartleby is a typical example of the narrator’s self–interest aspect in helping others.