Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street

Bartleby the scrivener A stratum of skirt Street is one of the just about famous short stories written by world renowned condition Herman Melville. crapper Self in his article in The Asylum describes the book as a keystone of modern literature. Published anonymously in November and December of 1853, it was again reprinted in The Piazza Tales in 1856.Much as it is a classic, it calm down baffles a lot of critics and capture been subjected to various actations by many. The fabrication of Bartleby continues to jazz on and tells of a story that is fairish and profound.The best description of the story which is profoundly rooted in the cultural and true(a) economic makings of the United States is the theme that exploits the hoist of capitalism during the season prior to the authorship of the story. This baffles the story something that is relevant and makes it a nigh account of the realities of the society during that development in the US economy. The economic transfo rmation that happened did non lone(prenominal) modernize the country except alike affected the psyche of the on the job(p) class as nearly as the ain relationship between employers and employees.The Wall Street world a major(ip) element of the story and considering the fact that it is presently one of the financial hubs of the US, one discharge strickle that the author has a straightforward eye for future financial potential. Allan Moore Emery, in his article The Alternatives of Melvilles Bartleby, praises Herman Melville in his scholarly drill of philosophy, theology and actual sources as he injected them with subtlety into his turn. To down a sodding(a) grasp of the the theme, one has to dissect the diametric elements in the story to see a cle arer picture of how it relates to capitalism.The story is narrated by a attorney who has a business of winning care of mortagages, bonds, and title deeds of pie-eyed men. This alone showcases the proliferation of real es tates and high nobble buildings during that time in New York creating a financial market that involves the employment of lawyers by men to protect their assets and properties. This just emphasizes that capitalistics throw off acquired capital and required proper reinforcement for ease of business transactions. In the story, the lawyer already employs 2 scribers, Nippers and bomb, who copy levelheaded documents by hand.He also has gingery shabu who bring ins as the office errand boy. The author in a way does non give specific details into his personal description of his characters making them all the much interesting and intriguing. However, it is nonable how the author refers to his staff using surnames and non by their stiff given names. One can assume of the impersonal relationship of the lawyers with his workers. Here, the dominance matt-up by the upper classes is accentuated because of the actuations of the lawyer cosmos the top person in the ladder.He aromas that because he is the one stip windupiary the salary of his employees, he has power over them inside the office. He describes them in a manner that is not very flattering. He comments that though Turkey works well in the morning, his siding deteriorates in the afternoon. Opposite is the case for Nipper, who because of his indigestion, works better in the afternoon than in the morning. Ginger Nut was given the nickname because he was always asked to fetch Ginger Nut cakes for the two scriveners. Here, Melville has a moil at humor to hide the mockery that is evident in the descriptions.The lawyer though pointing out the quality of his mens work always has a critique for their work attitude. He points out their malfunctions notwithstanding never even admitting any shortcomings from his side. The different characters of the employees are a representation of the structure in a capitalist environment. The staff embodies a work force that have forgetful room for advancement and op erative on monotonous tasks that takes a lot of intentness in the long run. To cope with the quick dead end, one can be physically affected or take a chance short means of escape to get across the same work everyday.Thus, the break in the output of the lawyers staff is their way of get by with the stress of monotony. The story then further unf aniles in the introduction of Bartleby who was hire by the lawyer to act as a third scrivener because of his growing business. Bartlebys list can be described as eccentric and forlorn. A lot of the critics cannot suffice themselves to compare the attitude of Bartleby to Herman Melville. When Melville wrote this, it was a time in his life that he was also experiencing depression because of the failure of his work Moby woodpecker.A lot of the readers assumed that he likely patterned the character of Bartleby to his own (SparkNotes Editors). Bartleby appeared to be a satisactory worker with quality output as is characteristic of new hi red employees in an industrial setting. The day came when he said the famous line that was the routine point of the whole story. When asked to proofread a copied document Bartleby said, I would prefer not to (Melville 18). This astounded the lawyer but do him more curious of the personality of Bartleby.In the average business world of today, one only has to finish the sentence before being escorted out by security. In the story, Bartleby was not fired right away because the lawyer entertained the throught of compassion and considered Bartleby as a charity case. He further mentions how he found out that his stubborn scrivener lives and eats in his office. This may be interpreted as showing that the employers feel that their employees are dependent on them for their fast needs. This clearly shows the capitalist idea that the workings class are being federal official by their hands.Bartlebys outright refusal is symbolic of his gall to be a slave to capitalism. Melville skillfully outlined how Bartleby gave up his work completely and chose to do nothing. This is suggestive of his rejection to conform to the exploitative nature of capitalists. The conflict that arised between Bartleby and his collegues is impendent in the actual workplace. It shows of the struggles between individuals who have different views. It separates those who are management underdogs from those who are courageous enough to effect change.Turkey and Nippers uplift at Bartleby is evident of their clear chains to their dependency on their work and their unfitness to do something about it because of their age and believably their destroyed morale. Eventually, because of the exhaustion felt by the lawyer to the antics of Bartleby, he decided to come out his office. Bartleby created a ruckus in the old office because of his refusal to move out and was in the end taken by the police and imprisoned. This shows how stead rights were strongly enforced during that time.Furthermore, Bartle bys act of quiescency on the corridors gives more emphasis on the gap between the capitalist and the working class. Though the lawyer tried to quip his house to Bartleby, one cannot be sure as shooting of the sincerity of it. One can interpret this as a way of serenity to alleviate the genuine condition of Bartleby. The capitalists very much sugar coat their intentions to bribe and make the working class feel that on that point is something good that they can offer back. If Bartleby agree on the lawyers terms, he knew that it would be for a fee.He recognized this outright which made him lower the offer. The lawyers additional act of compassion notwithstanding Bartlebys indifference was to make sure that Bartleby was well fed in the prison. It seems that because of the growing capitalist power, they were able to form laws and punishments that will overcome the obstinate acts of the workers but making it still appear moral by finding means of appeasing them as what is shown by the act of the lawyer. It is a way of paying for their conscience rather than a authorized act of compassion.The death of Bartleby is an abrupt end that provided yet another open interpretation from the readers. His refusal to eat the food offered him is an act of self-preservation wherein until his experience breath, he never allowed to get swallowed by the capitalist power and died with his principles intact. The story ends with the lawyers show of Bartlebys past. Bartleby used to work in a Dead earn Office and the lawyer assumed that this was the cause of Bartlebys absurd behavior. It is tyrannical of the lawyer to assume this without further association of the real story behind Bartlebys life.It may be that his depression was not caused by the nature of his former work but the mere closing of it. The change of system that was the alleged cause of the Dead Letter Offices closing is symbolic of the capitalists rise in power paving the way for a structure that is discrim inate of the working class. In closing, Bartlebys sruggle is reminiscent of an era that shaped the current working environment and tells of a story that is not aimed for confusion but for capable furtherance. Works Cited Emery, Allan Moore.The Alternatives of Melvilles Bartleby. California The University of California Press, 1976. Melville, Herman. Bartleby the penman. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania State University, 2002. Self, John. Herman Melville Bartleby the Scrivener. The Asylum. 7 June 2010 http//theasylum. wordpress. com/2009/05/21/herman-melville-bartleby-the-scrivener/ SparkNotes Editors. SparkNote on Melville Stories. SparkNotes. com. SparkNotes LLC. n. d. 7 Jun. 2010.