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Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street

by Herman Melville

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Themes: Narrator's Perspective and Irony

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Such views, while having varying degrees of validity, ignore the fact that “Bartleby the Scrivener” is dominated by the sensibility of its narrator and his search for the truth, a search that is ironic because he is incapable of any objective understanding of Bartleby and his seemingly perverse preferences. Not Bartleby’s actions or passivity but the narrator’s responses to his copyist are what is important.

Expert Q&A

How does the narrator of "Bartleby, the Scrivener" perceive himself and is his self-assessment accurate?

The narrator perceives himself as compassionate and reasonable, a self-assessment that is somewhat accurate. While he shows patience and kindness to Bartleby, he fails to deeply understand or address Bartleby's existential crisis. The story suggests a metaphor for human alienation, with the narrator representing a limited but genuine attempt to connect with Bartleby. His awareness of the broader human condition is evident, though his actions are insufficient to alter the tragic outcome.

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Themes: Alienation and Nonconformity

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Themes: Materialism and Self-Deception

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