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Metamorphosis And Bartleby The Scrivener: A Literary Analysis

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Human beings become disoriented when put in situations of isolation or loneliness.This tendency contributes to the notion that alienation is a powerful force. In literature, this debilitating feeling is often used by authors to parallel his or her own life in the character(s) or represent a specific body of people that can be related to the general audience. Alienation and isolation are often used as main or central themes in works of literature, both fiction and non-fiction, making it possible to recognize the similarities and emphasize the differences between stories in specific genres. This logic applies to The Metamorphosis and Bartleby, the Scrivener. Although both novellas share the basic construct of an alienation story throughout the plot, there are different uses of this theme that affects the narration and point of view of the respective plots. Franz Kafka authored The Metamorphosis which used the theme of isolation in a generic way. He employs this theme to the characters as a representation of society as a whole. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Herman Melville, wrote Bartleby, the Scrivener who used alienation in respect only to Bartleby. Gregor (from The Metamorphosis) experiences alienation from the …show more content…

The narration used in Herman Melville’s story differs from Kafka’s because of the simple idea that while Gregor was having a major life change which resulted in isolation, Bartleby seems to have come to terms with his inevitable alienation in his day to day life. The novellas share a similar point of view, which is first-person, as both main characters recount their personal stories, but just like the use of theme, they differ in the complex identification of their respective

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Alienation is a feeling of emotional isolation or exclusion from others and can be in the form of physical and mental and it is most often a combination of these forms. Throughout history and to the present day, hostility and prejudice continue to divide the human race because of the indifferences of people. Alienation can be a driving force that pushes human conscience to extremes as humans feel alienated from social institutions that surround them. Friends, family, and society can all be suspects of alienation, and for victims, drastic changes consequently occur. In the literary works of “First Ice”, First Day, and Shinny Game Melted the Ice, the main characters experience such hostility and exclusion from friends, family, and society.

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Alienation is an experience of being isolated from a group or a society. It is something that affects people everyday at school, work or any social events. The theme of alienation is showed in The Lego Movie when the character tries very hard to meet society’s standards. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 alienation is showed when no one listens or pays attention to the protagonist. The Lego Movie and Fahrenheit 451 does a good job demonstrating the theme of alienation with the usage of character emotions, feelings and society’s standards and labels throughout the movie and the novel.

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As readers can see, isolation does not only make a man lonely, but also brings about the effects of loneliness and isolation upon those around him. Frankenstein’s toils have led him to become a recluse and as a result of this, those he was once close with he has now lost true connection with. But, Frankenstein’s isolation was brought on independently and was of his own doing. The isolation his creation will soon come to be acquainted with, however, was the fault of his

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Alienation in society “Alienation is the process by which the human self externalizes itself and then encounters another being that is contrastive to the actual being” (Hegal 1959). In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, alienation plays a key role throughout the novel and is shown to be the cause of Montag's rebellion. Montag's isolation from society originated from interactions with Clarisse and Mildred. Since Clarisse had always been alienated from society, her relationship with Montag helped show him a different view of their society and shed light on all the thoughts he had suppressed, illustrating how one can be blinded by what is going on and needs someone to help them in a corrupt society.

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(Melville. 4) It looks to the reader that one is able to most simply answer these queries if he or she tend to approach Melville 's tale contextually. The Herman Melville of 1853 was, after all, hardly Associate in his information of philosophy, theology, and literature seems to own gone into the creating of "Bartleby. To perceive the discourse basis of Melville 's tale is simply to form a

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Transforming and Romanticizing a Storyline The Metamorphosis, a novella written by Franz Kafka, attracted the attention of many of its readers due to the writing framework and shocking concepts. The story depicts a man named Gregor Samsa who has befallen the fate of a cockroach- literally. After being transformed into a large bug, Gregor goes through the struggles of misunderstanding, neglect, and loss of his family relationships.

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Alienation creates a microcosm of society within a single person, and thus the values society views to be good or bad are displayed by an isolated being. Nathaniel Hawthorne shows what society disapproves of through the isolated Roger Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter. Chillingworth’s differences from the people of Boston isolate him. Out of the respected personality he once had, Chillingworth’s alienation brings out devilish attributes, which the Puritan society frowns upon.

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Alienation & Outcasts: In Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, the characters are the main reason for causing their own alienation and being victims of alienation. Holden, one of the character causes his own alienation and chooses to be lonely. One example is when Holden tries to call some of his friends but in the end, he “ended up not calling anybody” (Salinger). Holden is given the chance to hang out with some of his friends but decides he did not feel like it and gives up. Given the chance to ask someone out, Holden instead, decides not to because he gives them, Holden’s family and friends, an excuse for him to stay away.

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In “Bartleby, the Scrivener” by Herman Melville, Melville distinguishes his work with powerful imagery, diction, and a unique narrative structure. Using these literary structures allows the reader to immerse themselves in the story, viewing the narrator’s life through the eyes of the narrator. Throughout the novel, Melville’s imagery offers the reader a vivid picture of the setting and characters. When he introduces the narrator’s chambers, he writes, “my windows commanded an unobstructed view of a lofty brick wall, black by age and everlasting shade; which wall required no spy-glass to bring out its lurking beauties” (2).

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However, in the narrator’s statement, “At first Bartleby did an extraordinary quantity of writing”, it is evident Bartleby’s behavior begins to change (Melville 301). The narrator emphasizes that Bartleby “wrote on silently, palely, mechanically” (Melville 301). This description of Bartleby’s performance is the foundation to understanding Bartleby’s behavior throughout the remainder of the story. Bartleby’s behavior changes when

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The reason for this is because, the narrator has a hard time figuring Bartleby out. The narrator sees that Bartleby is a lot more difficult to read. When something is hard to read, then the reader must keep reading to figure it out. Therefore, the narrator represents the act of reading in that, readers are intrigued by what is not easily read. The final few points can now be made that not only does the narrator represent the readers and reading itself, but that Bartleby is a symbol for the act of writing and is representative if Herman Melville himself.

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Melville’s first-person narration through an unnamed narrator distances the reader from Bartleby’s direct thought process, leaving readers with only the interpretive recollection of a potentially biased figure. This perspective urges the reader to think critically about the true situation through context clues revealed throughout the story. Rather than directly explain the details of Bartleby’s depression, Melville pushes the reader to piece together the symptoms he scatters throughout the beginning of the story, ultimately building up to the undeniable disability that causes Bartleby’s demise. The pervasive theme of isolation grows stronger as the story moves along and Bartleby exhibits more strange and introverted behaviors, bridging the gap between the slightly odd Bartleby in the beginning and the severely dysfunctional Bartleby in the end. Likewise, Bartleby’s lack of identity and involvement in the workplace compared to the camaraderie of the other men exemplifies classic symptoms of major depression without directly stating Bartleby’s medical condition.

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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

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In 1853 the short story Bartleby the Scrivener was published in an American magazine. The short story by Herman Melville deals with the topic of resistance and refusal in a working and maybe capitalistic society. This depends on the interpretation of the short story. In the summer of 2011 another resistance movement which was also set on Wall Street was founded.

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