Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street Group

Question:

su13425
su13425
Student

How does his point of view influence the way the story is told?

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Posted by su13425 on Saturday November 3, 2007 at 5:45 AM and tagged with bartleby the scrivener, a tale of wall street, narrator, point of view.

Answers:


  1. renelane Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    The lawyer is an unreliable narrator. The reader is not getting an unbiased account of events, he is getting the lawyer's version, which includes evasions, personal prejudices, and biased reporting.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/bartleby-scrivener/style

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    Posted by renelane on Saturday November 3, 2007 at 6:22 AM


  2. bmadnick Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Using the lawyer to tell the story makes it more difficult so that the story can be interpreted in a number of ways. The lawyer admits he is a man of "assumptions" and that he's prejudiced, not always allowing him to give an accurate view of the situation. When the lawyer tells us about Bartleby, we have to decide for ourselves whether what the narrator says is true or colored by his own prejudices. Because the lawyer is unreliable, it's more difficult for the reader to unlock the mystery of Bartleby's behavior.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/bartleby-scrivener

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    Posted by bmadnick on Saturday November 3, 2007 at 10:03 AM