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Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

by Herman Melville

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Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

In "Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street," the narrative is delivered from the first-person perspective of an unnamed lawyer, who serves as both the employer and observer of Bartleby. The...

14 educator answers

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

Nippers is a young, ambitious scrivener with a temperamental disposition, often irritable in the mornings due to indigestion, but more effective in the afternoons. His work habits contrast with...

1 educator answer

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

Bartleby is a clerk in the Dead Letter Office. In that position, he is exposed every day to communications that never achieve their intended purpose. This makes him retreat from communication with...

2 educator answers

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

The 105 North Tower is depicted as a grim and claustrophobic prison cell. It features a small, grated window, a barred chimney, and sparse furnishings—a stool, table, and straw bed. The walls are...

1 educator answer

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

A suitable thesis statement for "Bartleby the Scrivener, A Story of Wall Street" could be: "Melville uses Bartleby's passive resistance and the narrator's failure to understand him to critique the...

2 educator answers

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

The author used the three characters to contrast Bartleby's character to show his uniqueness and it is also used to prove that Bartleby is not just an isolated case but a symbol of the general...

4 educator answers

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

In "Bartleby, the Scrivener," Bartleby dies of starvation in prison after being arrested for vagrancy. Initially, Bartleby is an exemplary, hard-working scrivener, but he later begins refusing tasks...

1 educator answer

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

The humor in "Bartleby, the Scrivener" shapes our response to Bartleby by highlighting the absurdity of the work environment and the lawyer's exaggerated attempts to manage his employees. Bartleby's...

1 educator answer

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

In Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener," the lawyer-narrator is the protagonist, while Bartleby serves as both an antagonist and a central, symbolic character. The lawyer's narrative...

5 educator answers

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

The narrator in "Bartleby the Scrivener" is an unnamed lawyer, which makes him an everyman and allows readers to view the story through his perspective. His lack of personal identity beyond being a...

3 educator answers

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

The setting and subtitle "A Story of Wall Street" in "Bartleby the Scrivener" emphasize themes of isolation and dehumanization in a capitalist environment. Walls, screens, and obstructed views...

1 educator answer

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

In "Bartleby the Scrivener," sympathies may lean towards Bartleby due to his apparent mental health struggles and withdrawal from life, reflecting the lack of understanding and support for mental...

2 educator answers

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

In the story "Bartleby the Scrivener" by Herman Melville, what is the significance of the setting? What could be some examples of a thesis about analyzing the setting of the story? The story...

1 educator answer

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

In Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener," the concept of "slippage" refers to the gradual decline in Bartleby's productivity and mental state. Initially a diligent worker, Bartleby begins to...

3 educator answers

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

Two passages in "Bartleby the Scrivener" that reveal Bartleby's Christ-like traits involve him turning down temptations. Like Jesus, he refuses the temptation of material goods when he won't take...

1 educator answer

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

To save his law office from Bartleby, the narrator first attempts to coax him to leave and offers him money, which Bartleby refuses. Unwilling to have Bartleby jailed as a vagrant, the narrator...

1 educator answer

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

The information about Bartleby's past work at the Dead Letter Office is revealed at the end to provide context for his behavior, enhancing the story's impact and mystery. By withholding this detail,...

1 educator answer

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

Although Bartleby is not literally dead, he behaves as if he were already dead. He even thinks of himself as being dead, often referring to himself in the third person, “Bartleby.” In fact, Melville...

4 educator answers

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

The lawyer's self-description characterizes him as an unambitious, prudent, and trustworthy individual, reflecting his profession's reliance on logic and rationalism. He works quietly among wealthy...

3 educator answers

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

The opening paragraph of "Bartleby the Scrivener" sets a formal and legalistic tone, revealing the narrator's tendency to qualify his assertions, indicative of his lawyer background. This cautious...

1 educator answer

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

The narrator of "Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street" is a sixty-year-old Wall Street attorney who holds a profitable, low-effort position as Master in Chancery. He describes himself as...

1 educator answer

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

The narrator's depiction of Bartleby as a "fixture" or "ruined temple column" dehumanizes him by likening him to an immovable object, emphasizing his passive resistance. This comparison reflects the...

1 educator answer

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

Turkey and Nippers are a "good natural arrangement" because their ill tempers rotate on opposite schedules, so they are never difficult at the same time. When the narrator drops in to the office he...

1 educator answer

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

The film Office Space best compares with "Bartleby the Scrivener" due to its depiction of the dehumanizing workplace. Both stories highlight protagonists trapped in lifeless office environments, with...

2 educator answers