ipl-logo

Foils In Bartleby The Scrivener

516 Words3 Pages

In Herman Melville’s short story, “Bartleby, the Scrivener”, multiple foils can be observed. Foils being a contrast between two characters or even settings. However, this text will be centered on specifically two foils. The first one, the narrator being a foil of Bartleby, leading to the second foil; Nippers and/or Turkey being foils of Bartleby once again. As previously said, Bartleby the Scrivener and the narrator seem to be foils of each other. The protagonist, Bartleby, resists the crowd and the usual way of living. He lives against the norms: isolating himself from society and humanity. Barely eating, or a certain point refusing to eat, living in his own office consequently cutting contact with humans and not executing his boss’s, the narrator, orders. Therefore, completely defying …show more content…

The narrator is an extroverted man who's going about his life in the easiest way possible. He’s kind, social, has a good reputation but has some issues for standing up for himself. He’s overly sympathetic to his employees to the point that he cannot bring himself to replace them. Later on in the story, when Bartleby no longer work for him, the Narrator can’t help but still feel responsible for the ex-scrivener. His genuine sense of human compassion is what makes him a relatable character. In summary, Bartleby is an introverted and selfish man who focuses on himself, in contrast with the Narrator who is extroverted and thinks too much about others’ well being. Bartleby also does what he wants at any given moment when the Narrator does what is expected of him. The Narrator fully grasps life when Bartleby has given up on life itself. Going to the second foil between Turkey and/or Nippers and the main character. Turkey and Nippers are portrayed as highly emotionally unstable men. Having emotional breakdowns, noticing hints of a certain bipolarity, letting their emotional impulsivity control their

Show More
Related
930 Words | 4 Pages

When examining Bruton’s personality, the reader can sense that he is a sarcastic, hardworking welder that did not succeed in college, but learned about “people

Read More
910 Words | 4 Pages

He tries to forgive himself but he cannot, no matter how hard he tries. The heroic characteristics as well as the flaw leads him to be a tragic hero. On top of his road to self discovery he must deal with the ever declining social structure of the town. He tries to stand out as an honest resistor to the hangings, which ultimately leads to his

Read More
816 Words | 4 Pages

Within a work of literature there may exists a pair of characters that rely on each other to express their traits in full. They are called foil and Arthur Dimmesdale and Robert Chillingworth are an example of this. Although the story centers around Hester there exists struggle between other individuals. Hawthorne wonderfully alludes to the doctrine of Satan accusing the sinner using these two characters and bring forth a suspenseful conflict. This is also called a juxtapose since they wonderfully contrast showing the extremes of character.

Read More
933 Words | 4 Pages

Societal adversities carve an individual’s outlook and character, which may continue unaltered until their untimely death. Susan Eloise Hinton, author of the coming of age literary text, The Outsiders, depicts the prevalent teenage social rivalry in the 1960s between the Socials (Socs) and the Greasers. Through a series of consequential incidents, various characters are challenged and undergo a progressive transformation throughout the story, while others remain static and do not respond with a shift in character. Dallas “Dally” Winston resists change despite the numerous opportunities for transformation as Ponyboy Curtis’ most distinctive gang member. Dallas Winston as a static character, remains self-preservative and detached from society, as seen in Ponyboy’s assessment of him at Buck Merril 's party, his conversation with

Read More
503 Words | 3 Pages

In almost every book ever written, there are characters that bring out the differences of others. Whenever the author, rather than plainly stating the characteristics, uses other characters to imply the traits of another character, it is called a character foil. In “Much Ado About Nothing,” there are many people that act as foils of each other. In the book “Much Ado About Nothing” written by William Shakespeare, Beatrice is a foil to Hero because of their differing personalities, actions, and opinions. Beatrice and Hero are foils to each other because of their contrasting personalities.

Read More
635 Words | 3 Pages

The movie vand novella version of “Bartleby, the Scrivener” both shared the same storyline set up such as the boss’s first encounter with Bartleby, the struggles Bartleby gave within the workplace, and more. Though the storyline was the same, there were some differences between the movie and the novella. The novella and the movie had differences in Bartleby’s character and differences in scenes throughout the storyline. Bartleby’s character was different in the novella and the movie.

Read More
623 Words | 3 Pages

Some say that opposites attract; in some cases they do and in some they do not. A foil is a character who is opposite of another character in order to highlight certain characteristics in both characters. An example of foils in a play that Shakespeare wrote, Romeo and Juliet, including rambunctious Tybalt and the tranquil Benvolio. Another example is the obnoxious funny Mercutio and the lovey dovey Romeo. Romeo and Juliet was a Shakespearean play written 1595 by William Shakespeare.

Read More
243 Words | 1 Pages

After reading Melville’s short story Bartleby the Scrivener, I started to think about how the story is relevant to today. Melville is able to capture the tedious and repetitious work environment of people who work in offices not only through the description of the office, but also through the interactions of the workers. In the story, Bartleby is put in an office space without a view to the outside world. Instead the lawyer positions him facing the a wall. The wall symbolizes the class difference between the two men.

Read More
522 Words | 3 Pages

“Bartleby the Scrivener” Herman Melville’s short story, “Bartleby the Scrivener,” examines the dehumanization of workers in the capitalist economic system of the 19th century. A business lawyer hires a new scrivener named Bartleby. The conflict arises as Bartleby refuses to do his job altogether, responding with, “I would prefer not to” (1). In an attempt to rid himself of the “intolerable incubus” (1) the narrator moves office locations. The police throw Bartleby in prison for not leaving the old premises, and Bartleby eventually dies of starvation because he refused to eat.

Read More
996 Words | 4 Pages

The story of Bartleby by Herman Melville is circled around a boss and his workers, taking place at a law firm on Wall Street of New York City. “Bartleby” is also a short story that presents itself in Jane Smiley’s book, Great American Short Stories. Any form of writing has a purpose such as entertaining, informing, and persuading. For Bartleby one may find all three being used, however, there is a hidden message. The narrator in Bartleby is the lawyer who holds much interest those he has employed.

Read More
1883 Words | 8 Pages

The narrator requests to work on an ordinary job which is not completely relevant to copying, and instead of writing, he prefers to object. When confronted by the narrator about the issue and his reasons for declining the request, he says that he desires not to. After considering the happening for a long time, the storyteller moves his office to a different place to get rid of Bartleby. As the story split ends, Bartleby says no to eating, and he is seen starving himself to death. Various incidences in the story portray Bartleby as a hero who reveals his braveness in facing the unjust community by his authority and molding the conscience of the narrator.

Read More
529 Words | 3 Pages

In his short story, “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” Herman Melville illustrates a man’s revelation of his hidden true nature. The story revolves around an unnamed narrator who describes himself as an experience and professional lawyer. He also claims that he “from his youth upwards, has been filled a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best.” The narrator works peacefully with his two other employees, Turkey and Nippers, until increased business urges him to hire a new scrivener, Bartleby. Although seemingly an asset after employment, the young man soon becomes an impediment after he begins refusing to work.

Read More
250 Words | 1 Pages

In “Bartleby, the Scrivener”, the workspace itself plays a pivotal role in the way the characters behave and interact with each other. The lawyer, who is also the narrator, describes his Wall Street chambers as having “windows that commanded an unobstructed view of a lofty brick wall, black by age and everlasting shade…that for the benefit of all spectators was pushed up to within ten feet of my windowpanes” (105). This description of his chambers shows that the lawyer is located in an office space that has been totally cut off from nature and almost all living things; much like a prisoner when he is in solitary confinement. Once we get inside the office, we see that “ground-glass folding doors” (110) have divided the office into two parts,

Read More
346 Words | 2 Pages

Those mental disorders that they have often only

Read More
911 Words | 4 Pages

Bartleby's narration ends in a low and sad tone because of Bartleby's death. By visiting the tomb, the lawyer understands that Bartleby is faced with various challenges. Another sad moment is noted when the employees' vagrancy forced the boss to a life of isolation. The Lawyer is filled with pity for Bartleby and was mindful. He wondered what was wrong with Bartleby and tried many ways to help, but he never accepted the Layer’s requests.

Read More

More about Foils In Bartleby The Scrivener

Open Document