Examples of Bartleby’s Eccentricities “Bartleby, the Scrivener A Story of Wall Street” was written by Herman Melville. It was written and published in 1853 in New York City. This story is based on a scrivener named Bartleby who works for the narrator of the story in a law office. All seems well with the new employee until he begins to act very strangely. Our narrator struggles throughout the whole plot with how to deal with Bartleby’s eccentricities. The eccentricities are Bartleby’s work ethic, his eating habits, and his office time. Although Bartleby may seem odd to many, once people read the essay they easily find many reasons to have sympathy for him.
The first eccentricities occur in Bartleby’s work ethic. Bartleby works for a successful …show more content…
The narrator finally builds up the courage to ask Bartleby, “Will you tell me anything about yourself?” Bartleby answers, “I would prefer not to” (465; par.3). This very erotic behavior seems as if Bartleby is hiding something. He won’t work when told to, he is seemingly only “working” at the law firm so he has a place to live. One last example of Bartleby’s eccentricities is when the narrator realizes that he will never be able to remove Bartleby from the law firm office so he believes that he has come with a brilliant idea. He decides to give up his lease on the office building that he has his law firm in. He then moves the law firm closer to the city hall, hoping that this move would be the perfect solution to remove Bartleby from the office and the narrator's life. This action did not work successfully. The new lawyer that is leasing out the narrator’s previous office confronts the narrator saying, “You are responsible for the man you left there. He refuses to do any copying; he refuses to do anything; he says he prefers not to; and he refuses to quit the premises” (473; par.7). Bartleby is now still living in the office with new strangers who do not want him there. I found this rather peculiar because yet again, he is not wanted yet refuses …show more content…
Early on in the story the narrator quickly notices that Bartleby never eats much, and when he does he eats mostly ginger nuts. The narrator then states, “He lives then on ginger nuts, thought I; never eats dinner, properly speaking; he must be a vegetarian then, but no, he never eats even vegetables, he eats nothing but ginger nuts” (459; par.8). This quotation makes clear that Bartleby is poor and does not have money for much else. This action is odd because before we found out that Bartleby has been living in the law firm, and he never does his work, thus leading to his firing. Once being fired he would have no money to buy food, but since he refuses to leave the office, he is able to spend his so- called earned money on ginger nuts. However, Bartleby is removed from the law firm building and is placed in jail where he later dies of what seems like starvation. To survive, Bartleby would have to eat in jail, but he refuses, even after the narrator pays to have meals made for the
The first eccentricities occur in Bartleby’s work ethic. Bartleby works for a successful …show more content…
The narrator finally builds up the courage to ask Bartleby, “Will you tell me anything about yourself?” Bartleby answers, “I would prefer not to” (465; par.3). This very erotic behavior seems as if Bartleby is hiding something. He won’t work when told to, he is seemingly only “working” at the law firm so he has a place to live. One last example of Bartleby’s eccentricities is when the narrator realizes that he will never be able to remove Bartleby from the law firm office so he believes that he has come with a brilliant idea. He decides to give up his lease on the office building that he has his law firm in. He then moves the law firm closer to the city hall, hoping that this move would be the perfect solution to remove Bartleby from the office and the narrator's life. This action did not work successfully. The new lawyer that is leasing out the narrator’s previous office confronts the narrator saying, “You are responsible for the man you left there. He refuses to do any copying; he refuses to do anything; he says he prefers not to; and he refuses to quit the premises” (473; par.7). Bartleby is now still living in the office with new strangers who do not want him there. I found this rather peculiar because yet again, he is not wanted yet refuses …show more content…
Early on in the story the narrator quickly notices that Bartleby never eats much, and when he does he eats mostly ginger nuts. The narrator then states, “He lives then on ginger nuts, thought I; never eats dinner, properly speaking; he must be a vegetarian then, but no, he never eats even vegetables, he eats nothing but ginger nuts” (459; par.8). This quotation makes clear that Bartleby is poor and does not have money for much else. This action is odd because before we found out that Bartleby has been living in the law firm, and he never does his work, thus leading to his firing. Once being fired he would have no money to buy food, but since he refuses to leave the office, he is able to spend his so- called earned money on ginger nuts. However, Bartleby is removed from the law firm building and is placed in jail where he later dies of what seems like starvation. To survive, Bartleby would have to eat in jail, but he refuses, even after the narrator pays to have meals made for the