Herman Melville's short story "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" presents readers with one of American literature's most enigmatic characters. Published in 1853, this narrative follows a Wall Street lawyer who hires a peculiar scrivener named Bartleby to copy legal documents. The story unfolds as a first-person account from the lawyer's perspective, detailing his increasingly frustrating attempts to understand and manage his strange employee. What begins as a straightforward employer-employee relationship transforms into a profound meditation on isolation, passive resistance, and the dehumanizing effects of modern work culture. Through Bartleby's famous refrain "I would prefer not to," Melville crafts a character whose simple words challenge conventional expectations about labor, authority, and human connection. The tale explores themes of alienation, compassion, and the limits of rational understanding when confronted with incomprehensible human behavior.
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The story takes place in a law office on Wall Street during the mid-nineteenth century, a period marked by rapid commercial expansion and increasing mechanization of labor. The narrator, an elderly lawyer, describes himself as a safe, prudent man who avoids confrontation and values efficiency. He employs two copyists, Turkey and Nippers, whose productive hours never overlap due to their respective morning and afternoon temperaments. The office also includes Ginger Nut, a young errand boy. Into this established routine comes Bartleby, initially hired to increase the office's productivity. Scriveners performed the tedious task of hand-copying legal documents before typewriters became widespread. This repetitive work required precision and endurance, often leading to physical strain and mental exhaustion. Understanding this historical context illuminates why Bartleby's passive resistance carries such weight, as his refusal disrupts the mechanical efficiency expected in commercial environments.
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Bartleby initially proves himself an exceptionally diligent worker, copying documents day and night with mechanical precision. However, when the lawyer asks him to help examine a copied document, Bartleby responds with his characteristic phrase: "I would prefer not to." This quiet refusal marks the beginning of Bartleby's gradual withdrawal from all assigned tasks. Despite repeated requests and eventual demands, Bartleby continues to decline every task with the same polite but firm statement. His passive resistance escalates until he stops working entirely, yet refuses to leave the office. The lawyer finds himself paralyzed by Bartleby's peculiar behavior, unable to assert his authority or summon the resolve to forcibly remove the scrivener. This dynamic reveals the lawyer's growing moral conflict between his business interests and his sense of human obligation. Bartleby's resistance becomes a form of silent protest that undermines traditional power structures without overt aggression.
The lawyer's response to Bartleby demonstrates the complex emotions that arise when confronted with inexplicable human suffering. Initially annoyed by the disruption to his business, the lawyer gradually develops a mixture of pity, frustration, and bewilderment. He attempts various strategies to resolve the situation, from reasoning with Bartleby to offering him money to leave. When these efforts fail, the lawyer even abandons his own office rather than force Bartleby out. This response reveals the lawyer's fundamental decency despite his initial focus on productivity and profit. The relationship between employer and employee becomes a meditation on moral responsibility and the limits of charity. The lawyer's inability to help Bartleby, despite genuine attempts at compassion, suggests the profound isolation that can exist even when people try to connect. The story raises questions about how society should respond to individuals who refuse to participate in conventional social and economic structures.
The story reaches its tragic conclusion when the lawyer relocates his office and the new tenants have Bartleby arrested for vagrancy. The lawyer visits him in the Tombs prison, where Bartleby has stopped eating. Despite the lawyer's efforts to provide food and comfort, Bartleby dies of starvation. After his death, the lawyer learns that Bartleby previously worked at the Dead Letter Office, sorting undeliverable mail. This revelation suggests a possible source for Bartleby's profound melancholy: years of handling messages that never reached their intended recipients may have deepened his sense of life's futility. The story ends with the lawyer's haunting exclamation, "Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity!" connecting Bartleby's individual tragedy to broader human suffering. Melville's narrative continues to resonate because it addresses timeless questions about work, alienation, and the human condition. The story challenges readers to consider their own responses to those who refuse to conform to social expectations and asks whether modern commercial society leaves room for genuine human connection and compassion.
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