english

Mark Yutko

Professor Cook

EN 102 Bartleby The Scrivener Paper

6 April 2012

The Wall Theme

In the short story "Bartleby the Scrivener" Herman Melville examines the character of Bartleby who works a dead end job as a copier for a wealthy lawyer. Bartleby is a gift to the narrator at first due to the fact that he can complete large amounts of work at a higher quality, but as time elapses Bartleby begins to respectfully decline to do work. This confuses the lawyer at first because Bartleby had been such a great worker, however he begins to be intrigued by Bartleby's attitude. Eventually the lawyer finds out that Bartleby had been living in the office in which he works and the lawyer moves his practice elsewhere. When Bartleby refuses to leave the building he is placed in prison where he refuses to eat and eventually starves to death.

English: The grave of Herman Melville in Woodlawn ...

Bartleby watches Ugly Betty

Bartleby watches Friday Night Lights

Throughout this plot a wall constantly faces Bartleby. Whether it is Wall Street, the wall opposite his window, the wall of the stairway, or the prison wall Bartleby always has his face staring at a wall. The reason for the constant theme of the wall is that the wall represents the obstacle Bartleby faces in life. Each wall, whether physical or figurative, represents a different obstacle for Bartleby, many of which he cannot overcome.

The first wall that Bartleby conflicts with in the story is Wall Street. Wall Street presents a specific task for Bartleby mainly because it is a conformist's job. The lawyer feels very comfortable on Wall Street because he knows what is expected of him, but Bartleby, on the other hand is an existentialist and does not agree with conforming to society. As stated by Leo Marx, "Bartleby has a gradually...