Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street Group at eNotes

Why do you think Melville chose the detail about Bartleby working in the...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:19:49 PST

Why do you think Melville chose the detail about Bartleby working in the Dead Letter Office at the end, what would be the effect if it were early on?

Both. Bartleby is the central character, but we view his actions through...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:17:41 PST

Both. Bartleby is the central character, but we view his actions through the perspective of the narrator. That being said, in the absence of a first person narrator, the reader would certainly consider Bartleby as the central figure. The narrator's reactions to Bartleby's serve to heighten Bartleby's seemingly bizarre behavior: his almost nihilistic or absurdist "passive resistance." The lawyer (narrator) eventually becomes fascinated by...

This question has been previously asked and answered. Please see the...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:23:42 PST

This question has been previously asked and answered. Please see the link below, and thank you for using eNotes.

What is the significance of the narrator's other employees in terms of...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:13:47 PST

What is the significance of the narrator's other employees in terms of what they reveal about the narrator's personality?

What do walls symbolize in Bartleby, the Scrivener?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:11:55 PST

What do walls symbolize in Bartleby, the Scrivener?

Who is the central character in Bartleby, the narrator or Bartleby, and...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:09:25 PST

Who is the central character in Bartleby, the narrator or Bartleby, and why?

the whole story has no climax but if you must have one i think it...

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 03:30:46 PST

the whole story has no climax but if you must have one i think it should be bartleby's refusal to work

What is the climax of Bartleby the Scrivener?

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:34:57 PST

What is the climax of Bartleby the Scrivener?

Although he is the title character of Herman Melville's short story...

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:00:55 PST

Although he is the title character of Herman Melville's short story "Bartleby the Scrivener," the reader is given little background about Bartleby. He is hired to copy documents, but the most obvious thing known is his famous line, indeed the response that he uses for nearly every request made of him: "I prefer not to." The story's narrator, the Lawyer, gives the reader a bit more information at the conclusion of the story: Bartleby...

I haven't read the whole story but i know that it is based on some...

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 19:08:23 PST

I haven't read the whole story but i know that it is based on some conformity and rebellion theme, so, i just need some reviews or ideas to built my research paper thesis.

How to relate Bartleby the Scrivener fiction with Confirmity and...

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 19:06:29 PST

Are there set rules or some external forces that regulate our lives all the time, as per the majority demands, even though its wrong?

What are some things we know about Bartleby?

Sat, 3 Oct 2009 20:46:50 PST

What are some things we know about Bartleby?

Compare and contrast a theme in Hawthorne's"The Birthmark" and...

Mon, 7 Sep 2009 19:22:10 PST

Compare and contrast a theme in Hawthorne's"The Birthmark" and Emerson's "Bartleby the Scriviner, A Tale of Wall Street Themes"

First of all, the lawyer is in a hurry to find anyone who could do the...

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 01:13:43 PST

First of all, the lawyer is in a hurry to find anyone who could do the extra work for his expanded business. He hopes for a diligent copyist and is initially satisfied. However, when Bartleby "prefers not" to be of assistance, the lawyer is dumbfounded. What does he see in Bartleby? He detects an obstacle to Bartleby's initial industriousness which should be identified and removed. As much as he is frustrated, the lawyer knows that...

What do we learn about the character of narrator in the first few...

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:38:40 PST

What do we learn about the character of narrator in the first few paragraphs?What does his language(including the use of "impris") tell us about him?

ALL of the speculation posted here about the motives for Melville are...

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:49:10 PST

ALL of the speculation posted here about the motives for Melville are simply WRONG. All you have to do to figure this out is look at Melville's biography and see what was going on in his life. 1) He isn't writing...at least not what he wants to write, 2) He has had to go to work for his father-in-law, 3) His father-in-law is an attorney, 4) His office is just off "Wall" Street in New York City, 5)Melville HATES this dead-end job his wife...

The lawyer, who has just taken on new work, is looking for a copyist or...

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:29:44 PST

The lawyer, who has just taken on new work, is looking for a copyist or scrivener, not another lawyer. Since there were no copy machines in those days, lawyers had to have all legal documents copied by hand. The work was tedious and stressful because each copy had to be exactly like the other copy. Since the lawyer is in a hurry to hire someone to do the extra work, and Bartleby seems to be qualified, the lawyer hires him. At first, everything...

In "Bartleby the Scrivener," what does the lawyer see in...

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:02:18 PST

In "Bartleby the Scrivener," what does the lawyer see in Bartleby?

Melville is trying to point out the consequences of having someone do...

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:01:40 PST

Melville is trying to point out the consequences of having someone do menial labor that requires little thought, but a lot of accuracy, day in and day out. He is also pointing out that people are individuals, not simply cogs in a copy machine. The constant grind of copying documents begins to wear on Bartleby. At first, he would "prefer not to" check his work and finally he "would prefer not" to live. The kindly lawyer tries to help him out,...

In "Bartleby the Scrivener", where is Melville going with all...

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:38:34 PST

In "Bartleby the Scrivener", where is Melville going with all this?