Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street Group

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jamie89
jamie89
Student
College - Freshman

What are some things we know about Bartleby?

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Posted by jamie89 on Saturday October 3, 2009 at 8:46 PM and tagged with bartleby the scrivener, bartleby the scrivener, a tale of wall street.

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  1. bullgatortail
    bullgatortail Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    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 apparently once worked in the Dead Letter office, a thankless job that probably contributed to his near insanity. And he apparently was fired from that position following a managerial change.

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    Posted by bullgatortail on Sunday October 11, 2009 at 11:00 PM