Bartleby, the scrivener - Herman Melville

I think that Melville said to himself: “what would happen if I write about somebody who’d simply do whatever he pleases?”

That, I imagine, could have been the spark that caused Bartleby, the scrivener, to come to life.

Let’s see, what is this large tale about?

The narrator is a lawyer who owns a small office in a building in Wall Street, New York. It’s mid XIX century, the year eighteen fifty something, I guess. One never thinks about this kind of stuff but while reading the book I wondered: how did office people copy, in large amounts, their important documents? It is clear that by the time copying machines were not even a dream. So there were people in charge of that duty. The copied all the necessary documents by hand, letter by letter.

Therefor, the narrator, owner of this small lawyer’s office, has three copyists or scriveners, which is the term used to refer to XIX century copying machines. I remember that those scriveners were nicknamed as Turkey, Nippers and Ginger Nut. Every one of these guys had their own eccentricities one wearer as the previous one, but all of them were efficient at work.

Since the amount of work in the office was growing rapidly, the lawyer decided to hire one more scrivener. That’s how Bartleby got into scene. He was a tall, thin and silent guy. He was assigned a spot in the offices kind of isolated from the rest but close to his boss’ office. By the way, the name of the lawyer is never revealed in the story.

Bartleby started doing his work without any trouble. At the same time, his boss was realizing of some peculiarities in Bartleby’s behavior. For instance, he wouldn’t leave the office, he wouldn’t take lunch. It seemed that he would feed himself by eating only ginger nuts, who were brought from the store by the errand boy, Ginger Nuts.

What was exactly the work Bartleby had to do?

To copy all legal documents his boss commanded him to, and, in order to check the accuracy of the copied document, it would have to be read out loud in front of the rest of the coworkers, each one of them holding a copy and the original document.   

What did Bartleby do?

He refused to do the readings. He just wanted to copy. He wouldn’t do any revision. And before any of his boss´ request or plea he would answer this: «I would prefer not to».

The boss, instead of fire Bartleby violently, prefers to use some Psychology. He talks to him patiently, trying to find out why he doesn’t perform the tasks his companions do. But Bartleby, imperturbable or fearless, would always respond: «I would prefer not to».

But one fine day, Bartleby “preferred” not to do anything at all but to look out of his window to the brick-face wall across. Bartleby wouldn’t copy anything, wouldn’t move, wouldn’t get out of the office, and wouldn’t do anything at all.

The boss, always subdued by Bartleby’s magnetism and powerless before his employee’s tranquil stubbornness, decides to flee and, taking the rest of his employees, moves to another building, far away from Bartleby, who still stayed at the old building. Though this old building had a new owner, Bartleby remained there and wouldn’t show any sign of leaving soon. The new owner doesn’t know what to do with that peculiar character. He finds the former owner of the office and, knowing that Bartleby was once his employee, compels him to do something about it or Bartleby would end up in prison.

Bartleby is sent to prison. The narrator goes and visits him. He talks to him, trying to make him reconsider his previous actions. But Bartleby is a tough nut. Nothing moves him. He dies a few days later, of starvation. He had refused to eat anything.

Some time afterwards, the lawyer discovers that Bartleby had worked for the Dead Letter Office at Washington, a place where all letters that no longer had someone to expect for them are thrown into fire. Could that gloomy and horrific job showed Bartleby that human existence is always stalked by ineluctable despair? Great Herman Melville doesn’t say a word. It’ll be on us to conclude whatever we feel is conveyed through this great story.