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Bartleby Isolation

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In “Bartleby, the Scrivener” by Herman Melville, the character Bartleby isolates himself from the other characters. In the workplace a worker can isolate his or herself very easily, by getting so engrossed in one’s work. However, in this story that is not the case, Melville writes to show the severity of one’s isolation in the workplace. Bartleby isolates himself from everything, he refuses to work and eat causing him to die. Throughout this story I can relate to Bartleby because when I get really focused on my work I do not want to take a break. I sometimes lose track of time and forget to eat until one of my friends disturbs me. Also, sometimes I zone out and lose track of time forgetting what I was doing and forgetting to preform basic tasks. This is like Bartleby later in the story. …show more content…

This is shown throughout the story when Bartleby starts saying “I would prefer not to” to most tasks that were asked of him. I can relate to Bartleby in this instance because sometimes I do not want to do any work that is expected of me. When I am in this mood I put off a lot of my work. Later, when I am in a better mood I pick up my work again. As does Bartleby, he pick himself back up and preforms a large amount of work. “A few days after this, Bartleby concluded four lengthy documents” (Melville,

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In the story we are introduced to an odd character by the name of Bartleby, a scrivener who at “At first Bartleby did an extraordinary quantity of writing” ( Melville 11) and proceeded to write “silently, palely, mechanically.” (Melville 11). But this soon turned around when Bartleby decided to turn in the opposite direction, when he was given orders “Bartleby in a singularly mild, firm voice, replied “I would prefer not to” ( Melville 11). He seems to be committed to the idea of “preferring” not to do something, and he would respond this every time and seems to have given up on his job. This ultimately makes the lawyer say “you are decided then, not to comply with my request-a request made according to common usage and common sense?”

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Critical Analysis The short story “Bartleby the Scrivener” by Herman Melville, showcases the protagonist, Bartleby, as a scrivener who is inundated with the demanding expectations of his job while being employed by an overbearing mercenary boss. Ultimately, Melville illustrates the protagonist’s sanity and moral value deteriorating as Bartleby begins to lose the will to live due to the stress that his job has created. Herman Melville (1819-1891) was born in New York City, New York. He is the third child out of eight.

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