Man of Mystery (Part II)

I found Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener" rather perplexing. I understood the plot of the tale, and I understood Bartleby's character. I was amused by Melville's dry humor by way of Turkey and Nippers, and I felt sympathy toward Bartleby throughout, especially in his death. Yet I am not sure I understand Bartleby's motivation. It is clear that something is off psychologically within Bartleby, yet I am never able to fully ascertain a cause. The only clue which the reader is given is when Melville reveals that "Bartleby had been a subordinate clerk in the Dead Letter Office at Washington" and reflects upon this occupation of "Dead letters! does it not sound like dead men?"

In researching the Dead Letter Office (and by "research," I of course mean "Wikipedia"), I discovered that the office concerns letters which cannot be delivered because the address is either illegible, insufficient, or nonexistent. If all other methods of discovering the proper address are exhausted, the letter is then shredded--or, in Melville's time, burned. Melville indicates that he considers working in this office would likely be a hopelessly depressing job as one would constantly be destroying heartfelt pieces of correspondence. Yet I still do not believe that that alone could justify Bartleby's queer personality. I honestly cannot give a definitive answer myself concerning Bartleby's disposition; perhaps it simply cannot be surmised correctly. Perhaps Bartleby is intended to remain an enigma.

Man of Mystery (Handout Question 6)

In Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener," Bartleby, fittingly, is the protagonist. Bartleby is the one who provides the main force of action throughout the story; without Bartleby's presence, the narrator's law firm would not be forced to relocate, nor would the narrator and his employees' working habits and tendencies be changed. The entirety of the plot action revolves around Bartleby; without him, no conflict concerning his quirks would arise. Bartleby seems to be a tragic hero more than any other type. His flaw is hard to pin down, yet it seems that it is the fact that he simply cannot adjust to his new life within the law firm. His refusal to adapt creates friction among the other characters, leading to Bartleby's abandonment, arrest, and death.

Despite the fact that Bartleby is the protagonist, the meaning of the story would definitely be different if it had been Bartleby's story. Although it may have focused on Bartleby at times, the story truly was about the narrator, the head of the law firm. The mystery around the reason for Bartleby's odd behavior creates the primary feeling of suspense throughout the story. If Melville had written from the focal point of Bartleby, the story would have lost the large portion of its power that had derived from the story's emotional suspense. Yet by making the story the lawyer's, and not Bartleby's, Melville heightens suspense and mystery surrounding the enigma of Bartleby.