The Story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

“Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” is a story of American literature classic Herman Melville, first published in 1853 in Putnam’s Magazine. The work’s plot revolves around a modest employee named Bartleby who, initially performing his work assiduously, begins resisting any changes and refuses to do any tasks in his professional and personal life. The problem of rebellious nature and interaction between the narrator, an elderly lawyer, and Bartleby takes the central place in the story. This paper aims to provide reflection on how this piece of literature can be used to convey core Christian ideas.

Under a superficial glance, it seems that the novel only narrates the tragic life of an individual who gradually starts to slide into a deep depression or acquire some mental disorder such as schizophrenia. The main character Bartleby becomes inactive, reserved, and difficult, giving a single answer to all requests: “I would prefer not to.” He totally stops performing his daily duties and caring for himself, thereby manifesting a specific protest against society. Even when the lawyer tries to encourage Bartleby to work, he resolutely refuses, without the clarification of his passivity.

However, if the readers dive deeper into the work, they reveal that Melville’s central ptoblem implicitly concerns human indifference. In particular, the narration was written in the period marked as the dawn of Capitalism that ultimately changed attitude toward people. Under this concept, persons have become perceived as instruments in the productive working system, not as the supreme creation of God, with his or her talents, soul, and uniqueness. Despite the narrator’s sympathy for Bartleby and efforts to incentivize him, he is not interested in Bartleby’s life and problems. The lawyer does not attempt to investigate the reasons for the scrivener’s depression and seclusion. The narrator only leaves him on his own and even moves to another office because the weird man thwarts his business by his presence. Eventually, although Bartleby does commit nothing criminal, he is placed in prison. In Scripture, Jesus especially condemns coldness and indifference to other people, indicating that without sacrificial love, even insignificant, individuals cannot be genuinely happy.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, October 22). The Story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-story-bartleby-the-scrivener-a-story-of-wall-street-by-herman-melville/

Work Cited

"The Story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville." IvyPanda, 22 Oct. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/the-story-bartleby-the-scrivener-a-story-of-wall-street-by-herman-melville/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'The Story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville'. 22 October.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "The Story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville." October 22, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-story-bartleby-the-scrivener-a-story-of-wall-street-by-herman-melville/.

1. IvyPanda. "The Story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville." October 22, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-story-bartleby-the-scrivener-a-story-of-wall-street-by-herman-melville/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "The Story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville." October 22, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-story-bartleby-the-scrivener-a-story-of-wall-street-by-herman-melville/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1