Herman Melville's Bartleby The Scrivener

Herman Melville was a prolific American author who created nine novels, fourteen short stories, and numerous reviews and articles that were not all well-received by readers throughout his lifetime (Reynolds). Although Melville was underappreciated as an author towards the conclusion of his literary career, he ironically came to be, in the twentieth century, one of the most eminent American authors in literary history (Reynolds). In Melville’s short story, “Bartleby the Scrivener,” the main character, Bartleby, endures a sense of apathy and expresses depressed feelings towards working in the law office, just as Melville felt downcast about his readers not accepting his later works, causing him to abandon his literary career and go through a

Through the juxtaposition of the internal struggles of Melville and Bartleby, both felt as if they were unaccepted in society and like vagrants, mentally lost, causing a sense of apathy.

On August 1, 1819, Melville was born into a loving and untroubled family of ten in New York. (“Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street”). However, while Melville was still young, his father, Allan Melvill, abruptly endured economic difficulties in his business. He struggled to continue keeping his business prospering, as he “overextended himself to creditors” (Reynolds). Melville’s father quickly became overwhelmed because he owed many debts. Unfortunately, he soon died unexpectedly in hysteria, leaving his family to fend for themselves financially. In response, Melville felt grievous and depressed from his father, the paramount authority of the family, dying so suddenly while Melville was still very young. The

In the story, Bartleby is hired by an elderly lawyer on Wall Street in New York to work as a scrivener. In the beginning of his job, Bartleby diligently works day and night, writing and copying by sunlight and candlelight. His outstanding production and work ethic greatly pleases the lawyer, just as Melville’s early works received much positivity and pleased his readers. However, one day when the lawyer asks Bartleby to read a document, he unexpectedly replies, “I’d prefer not to” (Melville, 675). Just as Bartleby one day in a sense abandons his job and becomes very stagnant, Melville did the same in 1850, after he was greatly overwhelmed with negativity over his later works. Paralleled to Bartleby, in Melville’s late career he felt indifferent, causing him to desert his profession, as he felt that he was an outcast from the literary world and an unaccepted author in his era