Fellings_Toward_Bartleby

In Bartleby, the narrator is a simple character who likes his life plain and orderly, but Bartleby, as complex as he is, comes into the narrator’s life and disrupts the orderly process that takes place at the law firm. Readers may look at Bartleby from their own perspectives and make their own judgments about him, but the story is told to readers by a character-narrator; therefore, readers are looking at Bartleby from the narrator’s point of view. Melville effectively develops the narrator from being a prudent character to one that is now sympathetic and intimidated towards Bartleby. As readers begin Bartleby, they learn that the narrator is an individual that wants his life revolved around order. Even before the narrator gives the story of Bartleby, he feels the urge to tell readers about his previous employees and their behavioral characteristics. The narrator does not want to know or care for what his employees do aside from their work, but he does care that they are able to work efficiently while at work. Melville effectively portrays the narrator as someone who finds comfort in structure and not being concerned with others’ actions. Melville effectively illustrates that the narrator is changing due to Bartleby because the narrator has became sympathetic of Bartleby. Upon learning that Bartleby has been living in the law firm, the narrator’s thoughts toward Bartleby becomes one of sadness and pity. The narrator states, “For the first time in my life a feeling of overpowering stinging melancholy seized me,” and he also adds, “My first emotions had been those of pure melancholy and sincerest pity” (Melville 18). The narrator understands that Bartleby is alone and gives Bartleby even more leniency for not doing any work that is asked. The narrator thinks of some other reason that Bartleby is rendered from doing any more writing, and concludes that it must be his eyesight is going bad. The narrator is sympathetic with him and encourages him to take a break. It is not until Bartleby tells the narrator that “he had permanently given up copying” that the narrator realizes that it is time to get rid of Bartleby (21). Even then, the mood of the narrator is that of sympathy instead of anger or frustration. The narrator says, “Decently as I could, I told Bartleby that in six days’ time he must conditionally leave the office. I warned him to take measures, in the interval, for procuring some other abode. I offered to assist him in this endeavor, if he himself would but take the first step towards removal” (21). The narrator’s approach is calm and most importantly, caring. The narrator is revealing that he cares for Bartleby’s well being and has stepped out of his comfort zone to help another man. Melville also effectively shows that the narrator is more conscious of others because he is intimidated by Bartleby. The narrator always has had a sense that Bartleby is strange, and his mysterious, unknown history does not alleviate the narrator’s uneasiness whenever he talks to Bartleby. The thought of the narrator changes to one of being intimidated when he learns that Bartleby does not leave the premises at the end of the work day. The narrator brings up two occurrences of death as a result of the unexpected interaction between the two men. The first instance occurs was when he hears Bartleby speak, and the narrator tells readers, “I was thunderstruck. For an instant I stood like a man who, in pipe in mouth, was killed one cloudless afternoon” (23). The second instance occurs when Bartleby goes back to his office space, and the narrator recalls, “Men have committed murder for jealousy’s sake, and anger’s sake, and hatred’s sake, and selfishness’s sake, and spiritual pride’s sake; but no man that I ever heard of, ever committed a diabolical murder for sweet charity’s sake” (25). The narrator’s comments shows readers that if not completely fearful, he is quite intimidated. He is constantly giving Bartleby the option of leaving on his own and never forces the issue to Bartleby directly. When the narrator states, “Since he will not quit me, I must quit him”(27), the intimidation is to a point where he does not want to even tolerate with being worried about Bartleby, so he leaves and finds another building to work in. Bartleby has changed the narrator to becoming more sympathetic and intimidated. At the end, the narrator has learned not only about Bartleby but about society. Work Cited Melville, Herman. Bartleby and Benito Cereno. Ed. Stanley Appelbaum. New York: Dover Publications, 1990. Print.