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Bartleby the Scrivener
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Bartleby the Scrivener - March 2022
I really liked this short story. I finished it nearly two weeks ago and I'm still thinking about it. I'm not sure if this was Melville's purpose but it really disturbed me. I love order and logic and the thought of some guy just hanging around and saying "I'd prefer not to," and refusing to leave is very upsetting.
What did everyone think about the lawyer? In some ways he bothered me more than Bartleby did. I do think he was compassionate, but was it to a fault? He uprooted his whole life just so he wouldn't have to deal with Bartleby anymore. That's kind of crazy.
This was a reread for me, which I did over the weekend. Though I’m sure we’ve all had a coworker who slacked off playing games on their phone or computer while others did all the work but, thankfully, they tend not to be around very long. Having someone loitering about the office all day doing nothing and staring off into space would definitely be weird and uncomfortable. Unlike the lawyer in the story, most people these days would not hesitate to call security or the police and have them removed. They wouldn’t uproot their office/business to a new location in order to avoid confrontation or bad publicity as the lawyer here does. There’s a HUGE difference between having compassion and being a door mat.
I started re-reading this tonight, wondering if I would like it as much as the first time I read it when I was in my twenties.I was laughing out loud at the antics of Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut. It seems preposterous, but having worked with some of the same people for 20 years, we have gotten to know each other's foibles really well. I can so perfectly imagine this man Nippers who just must adjust and readjust his desk continually or this man Turkey who is always grumpy and sloppy in the afternoon.
I remember all the complaints at my own job about the air conditioning vents when we moved to the new office. Engineer X must have it freezing cold, and engineer Y must have it warm. Cardboard monstrosities are soon being taped onto the ceiling to redirect the air. Screens are being set up. Everything is soon preposterously and wonderfully human in its folly.
And I laughed at the view of the wall too, "for the benefit of near eyed spectators." Why are office buildings so often set up like this, with no view or even no windows in large areas?
I haven't even gotten to Bartleby's appearance yet, but I'm already finding it spectacularly entertaining.
Greg - I loved those three as well! It was such a fun opening and instantly caught my attention. Made me giggle.
Natalie wrote: "Greg - I loved those three as well! It was such a fun opening and instantly caught my attention. Made me giggle.":)
Greg wrote: "... Engineer X must have it freezing cold, and engineer Y must have it warm. Cardboard monstrosities are soon being taped onto the ceiling to redirect the air. ..."Yes!! I know all about those cardboard monstrosities! How funny that this is a universally human balance we all go through in trying to accommodate everyone in an office.
I too loved the Turkey/Nippers balance. Reminded me of teams I've been on and was a great exaggeration of the concept of picking up where the other lets off. :-)
Greg wrote: "... Engineer X must have it freezing cold, and engineer Y must have it warm. Cardboard monstrosities are soon being taped onto the ceiling to redirect the air."My sister has this problem at work. It’s roasting in her office, and especially bad in summer, but the office manager won’t report it because she likes it hot. Never mind that everyone else is dying of heat prostration. 🙄
I have to say, I’m a teacher, and for several years I was out of the main building and in a trailer. The BEST thing about the trailer was controlling my own temp. 😂
This was my pilot attempt on reading Herman Melville's works as I plan to read Moby-Dick soon. I loved it. I was disturbed by Bartleby's behaviour and his 'I would prefer not to'. But at the same time sad like the lawyer thinking about his melancholic situation. The lawyer prefers not to complicate his life. As mentioned in the beginning he believes easiest way of life to be the best. Hence he avoids complications even if it means that he has ignore and retreat. Is this an indicator of cowardice?I too loved the other 3 funny characters. Such peculiar employees the lawyer has.
Anjali wrote: "Is this an indicator of cowardice?"A great question, Anjali.
I find the lawyer/narrator so interesting. He does say he prefers (I love how Bartleby makes the characters and us hyper-aware of that word!) to keep things simple, saying he believes the easiest life is the best.
He clearly felt for Bartleby. Was his accommodation of him from laziness or from charity? Was his "easy" way actually "the best" way in this case?
The ending of this story actually made me cry, the idea of all those letters cycling everywhere throughout the country, carrying vital messages for people who desperately need them and yet never receive them, all those small and crucial tokens of humanity that are forever left undone.I am really going to have to think about this a while to understand what to make of it.
But regardless, poor Bartleby . . . this gentle and absolutely infuriating, unreachable man!
Greg, that is such a great description of Bartleby! Gentle, infuriating, and unreachable.
Anjali - I think it might have been a bit of cowardice. I just can't imagine letting a situation go on like that. It's odd that he likes the easy way, but chooses to uproot his entire life instead of forcing Bartleby out.
Thanks Natalie! :)Anjali, Natalie, Kathleen: it could be cowardice for sure, but maybe he is trying to keep his conscience clear? But I like your question Kathleen, is the course of action really for the best?
The narrator strikes me as one of those men who is truly upright, not sanctimonious or showy, but he has a deeply held though very conventional moral compass. He thinks of Bible passages more than once. He really wants to avoid doing a wrong to Bartleby. And he has lived a sedate life which has never forced him to violate his conscience before.
Normally, when everyone does what society expects, that's easy for the narrator because he is a very conventional person. He knows the "correct" responses. He isn't the sort of person to sell all his goods and join a mission in religious fervor! He just wants to wend his little way and avoid any black marks on his eternal record that would trouble him. In ordinary circumstances, it's easy; he knows exactly what he should do.
But here is a man who will not allow the narrator any way of acting without harming Bartleby directly. Bartleby won't be discharged according to normal customs. He won't even take extra money to assauge the blow. Only the most extreme action will dislodge this bizarre man! The narrator can't stomach the idea of harming him directly by having him dragged off to the Tombs or pushed out bodily onto the street. It makes me think of Caesar washing his hands:
(Matthew 27:24)
"So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, 'I am innocent of this man's blood. The responsibility is yours!'"
As strange and extreme as moving is, it's the only way he can wash his hands of Bartleby with a clear conscience. He makes Bartleby someone else's moral choice.
Nowadays, we are used to people who just buck the system and have security apparatus in place, but in the story, the narrator would have had to act personally. We wash our hands by passing someone off to security; the narrator doesn't have that option. He could wash his hands by passing him off to the police, but he doesn't want to because he knows that won't go well.
Is it cowardly to shirk the moral responsibility that way? Yes, probably, but it's so human too. In cases with no good resolutions, people will often try any justification to escape the choice.
The irony is that even then, Bartleby refuses to let him go. He must be held to account for this social brokenness in a social system he benefits from. and is a part of, even though he has no direct blame or direct involvement in the cause.
It's so disturbing philosophically!
I don't know how I feel about all of this and need to think more.
Great insights Kathleen, Natalie and Greg. Greg- I also think he is trying to keep his conscience clear. After his final attempt to get through Bartleby he says to himself that he has done everything he could.
I am enthralled by the depth of thoughts contained within this very short story.
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I am always impressed when I read an author from long ago describing something that today we identify as an illness. I think poor Bartleby had Catatonia - this can be a symptom of Major Depression, Bipolar Disease, or Schizophrenia.
I agree with the lawyer's decisions. The narrator even went to far as to invite Bartleby to live with him at home!! But ultimately just moving away from Bartleby seemed a perfect solution to me. I enjoyed the writing in this story. The length was perfect. Great story in my opinion.
I loved reading your comments Greg. You have such great insights. When I was reading I was mostly just frustrated with the lawyer, but after reading your comments, that seems exactly right to me. It may not have been the correct way to respond, but it was so very human.
Anjali, I'm also impressed with how much this story has given me to think about it. I think it's the most thought-provoking book I've read this year. One that will stick with me for awhile.
Lynn, I'd never heard of catatonia, but I was definitely thinking about depression while considering Bartleby's behaviors. When I think of Bartleby, alone, without relation to how his actions were disturbing others, I feel quite sad for him and how despondent he felt. That's a terrible way to feel.
Lynn wrote: "I am always impressed when I read an author from long ago describing something that today we identify as an illness. I think poor Bartleby had Catatonia - this can be a symptom of Major Depression, Bipolar Disease, or Schizophrenia."This makes a lot of sense Lynn!
I wasn't sure what to make of what was actually "wrong" with Bartleby, but now that you say this, it makes sense to me. Especially given that it seemed to occur after he lost his long-standing job at the Dead Letter Office. That must have been the trigger I guess?
And I do feel sorry for poor Bartleby too Natalie! The ending really moved me; as frustrating as he was, he didn't seem to mean anyone else any harm. He just couldn't cope. It would indeed be a terrible way to feel. :(
Anjali, I love when you say: "I am enthralled by the depth of thoughts contained within this very short story." That is so true!! I am really struck by that this time around!
It's been a few years since I last read and reviewed. I post my review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Reconsidering the story. Maybe/Likely Bartleby did not know he was sick or what he was sick with. Nineteenth-century doctors and other medical practitioners did not use the same terminology to describe diseases and conditions and did not have the extensive knowledge we have now, so we cannot tell from here in twenty -first century was Bartleby was afflicted with. We can guess, surmise, and even be fairly sure, but not certain. . . .Makes the story so much more interesting.
When I was young I always wondered how people could pin down their entire thoughts/sentiments into just few lines in a poem or few pages of a story. But I have grown to enjoy and like them more now (not meaning that I don't enjoy long reads). They stick to our minds for a long time, heavy.
Greg wrote: "He just wants to wend his little way and avoid any black marks on his eternal record that would trouble him. In ordinary circumstances, it's easy; he knows exactly what he should do."This is so insightful, Greg. I think you've hit on the gist of the story. This "truly upright" as you say man confronted with a situation with no easy answer.
This is one story I remembered well from high school. Probably because they also showed us the film (on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7htA6...), and, while many of us loved saying "I prefer not to" afterwards, what really stuck with me was the darkness that came across. The story is such a great mix of thoughtful, amusing, and troubling.
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Lynn wrote: "More thoughts on Bartleby. I do have sympathy and compassion for him. It was as if Bartleby met our narrator just as he was entering the end stages of a serious illness. I honestly think the lawyer..."That sounds right to me Lynn. And like you, I can't imagine what more the narrator could have done for the poor man. I don't think an insane asylum in the 1800s is a place anyone would want to be sent to!
Isn't it strange that this novella/story was written in 1853?! Maybe it's just me, but in sensibility and approach, it feels like something written in a much later era. When I looked up when it was written, I was really surprised.
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I am leaving school now and just took a quick look at the youtube video. Thanks Kathleen! I can't wait to get home and watch it. The opening feels so spooky.
Thanks Kathleen, and thanks for the link as well! I didn't even realize there was a film!I wonder if the teacher regretted her decision after the "I prefer not to"s. I can imagine that really catching on, ha ha! :)
Such insightful takes on the story! Really enjoyed reading everybody's comments.I, too, enjoyed the descriptions of Turkey and Nippers. The shift from these laugh-out-loud sections to the more serious, deeper take on humankind was so skillfully done.
I agree that if Bartleby existed today, he might be diagnosed with a mental disorder - probably schizophrenia or schizotypal personality, as someone mentioned - or any other physical illness that has such effects on the mind. I have to say, though, that I am concerned that this kind of diagnosis oversimplifies Herman Melville's observations about human beings.
I just want to add one little thing about the narrator. Much like for everyone else, he is of great interest to me too. I agree with Greg that his actions have something to do with his "moral compass." But my understanding of his moral compass is a bit different.
This line caught my attention:
Gradually I slid into the persuasion that these troubles of mine touching the scrivener, had been all predestinated from eternity, and Bartleby was billeted upon me for some mysterious purpose of an all-wise Providence, which it was not for a mere mortal like me to fathom.
I recognise this way of thinking very very well. Many times, as a child, I had been told by people that when someone is crossing a boundary or doing something that makes you uncomfortable, it is better to accept it as the "will of god" than to confront it and cause pain to everyone involved. Also, bad things happen for reasons that are inaccessible to our mortal brains.
A person who is brought up with this kind of moral compass begins to believe that there are certain things that are very well out of our control, no matter how controllable they seem to other people. And one of those things that is out of our control is taking measures that "hurt" others, no matter how much their actions hurt us.
I believe the narrator is one such person. Often people with this sort of moral compass (I have seen, in myself and people like me) are extremely empathetic, often observed for being foolishly so. I feel that the narrator doesn't want to throw Bartleby out of his office because he believes that there is a limit to what a person can do when everything is predestined. I believe this type of childhood conditioning is very hard to unlearn too, which is why he continues to visit Bartleby even in the end.
Just finish and read this fine discussion you people have had. Thank you for your insights.Around here I think an employer would delegate to an employee or HR-person to “do something”/”remove him”/”if necessary call the police”.
Wikipedia has a bit about autobiographical interpretations:
”Bartleby is a writer who withers and dies after refusing to copy other writers. More specifically, he has been described as a copyist “who obstinately refuses to go on doing the sort of writing demanded of him." During the spring of 1851, Melville felt similarly about his work on Moby-Dick. Thus, Bartleby may represent Melville's frustration with his own situation as a writer, and the story is "about a writer who forsakes conventional modes because of an irresistible preoccupation with the most baffling philosophical questions." Bartleby may also represent Melville's relation to his commercial, democratic society.”
Nahhh,.... I am not that convinced. Bartleby start out copying very efficiently, but prefer not to check the quality of the work.
Further down:
”It has been considered a precursor of absurdist literature, touching on several of Franz Kafka's themes in such works as "A Hunger Artist" and The Trial. ”
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartleb...
Sneha wrote: "Such insightful takes on the story! Really enjoyed reading everybody's comments.I, too, enjoyed the descriptions of Turkey and Nippers. The shift from these laugh-out-loud sections to the more se..."
I like this Sneha! I do see what you mean; he goes through several stages of thought in dealing with poor Bartleby.
And in that passage you cite, he does indeed wonder if maybe he was predestined to care for Bartleby. If he is predestined, he will just have to live with it and accept the "will of God" as you say. I like the quote you point out; that is one of the parts where it is most clear the narrator is thinking that way.
But that way of thinking does not really stick. A few paragraphs later, he changes his mind and concludes instead that he must get rid of Bartleby:
"Rid myself of him, I must; go, he shall. But how? You will not thrust him, the poor, pale, passive mortal,—you will not thrust such a helpless creature out of your door? you will not dishonor yourself by such cruelty?"
At this point, he has already moved away from a feeling of predestination and is now trying to figure out some course of action. But he wants to do it without causing Bartleby harm, and he cannot figure out how to do it.
It's complicated though because just like all of us, the narrator has various moods. He changes his mind more than once in trying to figure out how to understand Bartleby and in trying to figure out what to do.
It's been a week since I read this story, and I still sometimes find myself thinking about it. What a peculiar story, and what a peculiar man!
Kathleen wrote: "This is one story I remembered well from high school. Probably because they also showed us the film (on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7htA6...), and, while many of us loved saying "I prefer not to" afterwards, what really stuck with me was the darkness that came across. The story is such a great mix of thoughtful, amusing, and troubling."..."
I just watched the film Kathleen! Thanks so much for the link! I liked it. Did you notice the future Greg Brady as Ginger Nut? :D
The only problem with the film is that it lost most of the humor . . . the oddities of Turkey, Ginger Nut, and Nippers and the humor overall really. I guess it's such a hard story to film; so much of the action is internal to the narrator's mind as he's agonizing over what to do. Like when he starts wondering what the effect is on the human constitution to eat nothing but ginger nuts! That made me laugh in the story, but it was just an internal thought.
I still vividly remember one of my teachers showing the film of the short story The Lottery. That one disturbed me deeply!
But I always found it interesting when the teachers put on films that matched assigned reading. I wonder if that is still done in classrooms nowadays with all of the standardized testing and all the other new requirements? I hope so.
J_BlueFlower wrote: "Bartleby is a writer who withers and dies after refusing to copy other writers"I wondered if it was this too in the beginning, but as you said, by the end I wasn't really convinced either.
Greg wrote: "Sneha wrote: "Such insightful takes on the story! Really enjoyed reading everybody's comments.I, too, enjoyed the descriptions of Turkey and Nippers. The shift from these laugh-out-loud sections ..."
I happened to read that as the push and pull between the side of him that believes in predestination, and the side that lives in society and feels the pressure to abide by its rules. But you make a good point about how he keeps changing his mind. Like most humans, I guess he can't be described in just one way.
Sneha wrote: "Greg wrote: "Sneha wrote: "Such insightful takes on the story! Really enjoyed reading everybody's comments.I, too, enjoyed the descriptions of Turkey and Nippers. The shift from these laugh-out-l..."
Oh I see Sneha! So you read it as a part of him believing in predestination, but he is conflicted. I can see how the story can be read that way, and it seems like another valid way to read it that fits with the text.
Sneha, I love what you shared here. "A person who is brought up with this kind of moral compass begins to believe that there are certain things that are very well out of our control, no matter how controllable they seem to other people. And one of those things that is out of our control is taking measures that "hurt" others, no matter how much their actions hurt us."So interesting, where we draw the line between acceptance and responsibility. I think this too could be a theme of the story.
J_BlueFlower - I can see how this could have come from Melville's struggles with his own unconventional writing (or at least his writing that wasn't accepted by conventional critics maybe), that Melville tried the conventional way, and then decided he preferred not to!
And glad you enjoyed the film, Greg. Can't believe I didn't notice Greg Brady! I agree the humor was missing--there's really nothing like reading the story. But I know we sure appreciated the few films they showed us back then. (We used to chant "movies!")
J_BlueFlower wrote: "Just finish and read this fine discussion you people have had. Thank you for your insights.Around here I think an employer would delegate to an employee or HR-person to “do something”/”remove him..."
Thanks J_BlueFlower for the post and links! It's interesting those autobiographical interpretations! It is an irony, a writer writing a story about a man who comes to refuse to physically write.
Like you, I'm not sure all the evidence fits in the story that it's what Melville actually meant. It seems like there more profound philosophical questions in his mind, given the poignancy of the ending especially.
But could there be a hostility he felt to the sorts of commercial writing he had to do in his day job that subconsciously spurred him on to write this story? For sure, it's possible!
And is there a Kafka-like absurdist element? Yes, I can see that too.
Though to me, Kafka still always means something underneath the absurdity! - he isn't writing absurd stories with no purpose other than provoking/poking fun like the play Ubu Roi or something. I feel like there are serious ideas underneath the absurdity of The Metamorphosis just as I feel there are here.
I've got the last 30 pages to read but wanted to chime in. I was wondering if anyone who has read or is reading Bleak House (published in 1850) made the connection with Bartleby? The Chancery court of New York in 1853 when this was written must be the same type of courts that were already prominent in England. Also the fact that Bartleby is a copywriter like our character we just met named Mr. Snagsby. Bartleby is so disenchanted with so much work that he now refuses to do anymore. I have to wonder how much of the contents of the copying these copyists retain and wonder about. Maybe the topics are ones to add to his disenchantment. Just random thoughts I have been having since reading these two books at the same time. I haven't read all of the comments yet because I want to get to the end first.
Natalie wrote: "Anjali - I think it might have been a bit of cowardice. I just can't imagine letting a situation go on like that. It's odd that he likes the easy way, but chooses to uproot his entire life instead ..."Natalie, it was endearing to me to see the lawyer's compassion for Bartleby come to life. He felt frustrated by Bartleby but never wanted to harm him or cause him any difficulty. The way that he totally uprooted his entire life for this dispirited man is very much in line with biblical principles like the Good Samaritan. He truly does want what is right for Bartleby and goes through so many changes to try to figure out the best "procedure".
Lori wrote: "I've got the last 30 pages to read but wanted to chime in. I was wondering if anyone who has read or is reading Bleak House (published in 1850) made the connection with Bartleby? The C..."I am doing the Bleak House read with you Lori. It is interesting the crossover!
Lori wrote: "Natalie, it was endearing to me to see the lawyer's compassion for Bartleby come to life. He felt frustrated by Bartleby but never wanted to harm him or cause him any difficulty. The way that he totall"I agree Lori - it is so touching; the narrator does his best in a very difficult situation to do no harm. How many would go to such lengths, even trying to pay for better food for Bartleby in prison when all else fails and visiting him there!
Lori - I did make the connection to Bleak House when they started talking about copy writers. I was thinking "ooo! I know what those are!" :D As to the lawyer, I can see he's being kind, but I just didn't agree with it. I was thinking what if the lawyer was one of my friends and he told me what he was doing for this weirdo in his office. I would be massively worried for my friend and very nervous about this strange guy. I would probably end up calling the police and tell them I was worried about my friend's safety.
I think the most reasonable thing the lawyer did was try to help Bartleby by visiting him in jail and offering him money. That was very kind.
On a random note, I've been watching the Netflix show, "Worst Roommate Ever" and I just saw an episode about a serial squatter and it instantly made me think of Bartleby. Lol! Bartleby was not dangerous like the guy in the show, but there is something so deeply disturbing to me about someone entering my space and refusing to leave. Just the idea freaks me out! That's probably why I can't condone the lawyer's behavior, because the whole idea of Bartleby refusing to leave distresses me so much.
Natalie wrote: "On a random note, I've been watching the Netflix show, "Worst Roommate Ever" and I just saw an episode about a serial squatter and it instantly made me think of Bartleby. Lol! Bartleby was not da..."
It's understandable Natalie - it is indeed disturbing!
What I liked so much about this story is how Melville portrays a character who is simply irrational in a very modern sense, someone who refuses to recognise the normal social rules we all accept, but is not being driven by "the gods" to do so. I can't think of any older story that does this (although I would be happy to be proven wrong).
How to interact with members of our community who do not behave by our normal rules is a fundamental problem of society, which baffles the lawyer, but his response is far more humane than that of any character. I suspect the traditional way of dealing with this was either to banish them from the community if they were offensive or dangerous, treat such people as holy fools if they were harmless and loved, or kill them. The 19th century response was more "modern" and put people like Bartleby away in asylums.
Ben wrote: "What I liked so much about this story is how Melville portrays a character who is simply irrational in a very modern sense, someone who refuses to recognise the normal social rules we all accept, b..."It definitely shocked me to discover it was written in the mid 1800s too Ben!
And it's a sad thing, but I think you're probably right about the common 19th century response. There are so many historical stories I've read about people getting rid of inconvenient relatives that way (especially wives) for only slight eccentricities, stuff way, way less than the things exhibited by Bartleby.
Just one more thought. I loved the connection between Bartleby's decline and his employment in the Dead Letter office, making the tie between communications that failed because messages could not be delivered and a man who became cut off from communication with other men, between letters piling up futilely only to be burned, and words that no longer had any effect on Bartleby.
A powerful image.
I am enjoying the comments. I am glad members posted on interpretations that relate to predestinatination and the pressure from critics for Melville to write traditional works. Another approach is to consider this short story in comparison with Thoreau's On the Duty of Civil Disobedience: One of the Most Read Essays of All Time. But most fun, IMO, is to consider this work with slight differences in the roles of Bartleby and the narrator. For example, consider if Bartleby were a woman, a relative, a POC, or consider these roles reversed for the narrator. Another suggestion is to consider how we would feel if Bartleby were enslaved. Ultimately, I see the story as a philosophical exercise, pitting personified ideas of freedom, cooperation, authority, and compassion against one another in a with no right answer provided.
Sam wrote: "Ultimately, I see the story as a philosophical exercise, pitting personified ideas of freedom, cooperation, authority, and compassion against one another in a with no right answer provided"That makes a lot of sense to me Sam! For sure, there are larger philosophical questions here, in terms of proper ways to deal with those who either won't or can't follow all the unspoken rules that allow humans to get along in close proximity.
But what I really love about this atory is that it works well on both levels, as a sociological case and as a quite moving individual story.
Sam wrote: "I am enjoying the comments. I am glad members posted on interpretations that relate to predestinatination and the pressure from critics for Melville to write traditional works. Another approach is ..."I find this interpretation really interesting. I hadn't thought of approaching it this way - as a philosophical exercise. Though, when we discussed the possibility of mental illness, I did think of Bartleby as someone from a marginalized group. But it is interesting to take it a step further and wonder what it would mean if Bartleby was a woman or a POC.
This was the first Melville I have read and I was also using it to familiarize myself with him before attempting Moby Dick later this year. I agree with a lot that has already been mentioned, but I would like to add that I loved the classical allusions that Melville utilized, particularly the pyramids and tombs. I look forward to picking it up again someday.
Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
Books mentioned in this topic
On The Duty of Civil Disobedience: One of the Most Read Essays of All Time (other topics)Bleak House (other topics)
Bleak House (other topics)
Ubu Roi (other topics)
The Metamorphosis (other topics)
More...
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