Bartleby - Passage Analysis

Image Source: http://melvillehouse.myshopify.com/products/large-bartleby-shirt

“Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance. If the individual so resisted be of a not inhumane temper, and the resisting one perfectly harmless in his passivity; then, in the better moods of the former, he will endeavor charitably to construe to his imagination what proves impossible to be solved by his judgment. Even so, for the most part, I regarded Bartleby and his ways. Poor fellow! thought I, he means no mischief; it is plain he intends no insolence; his aspect sufficiently evinces that his eccentricities are involuntary. He is useful to me. I can get along with him. If I turn him away, the chances are he will fall in with some less indulgent employer, and then he will be rudely treated, and perhaps driven forth miserably to starve. Yes. Here I can cheaply purchase a delicious self-approval. To befriend Bartleby; to humor him in his strange wilfulness, will cost me little or nothing, while I lay up in my soul what will eventually prove a sweet morsel for my conscience. But this mood was not invariable with me. The passiveness of Bartleby sometimes irritated me. I felt strangely goaded on to encounter him in new opposition, to elicit some angry spark from him answerable to my own. But indeed I might as well have essayed to strike fire with my knuckles against a bit of Windsor soap. But one afternoon the evil impulse in me mastered me, and the following little scene ensued" (Melville n.p.).

This passage is important because it demonstrates the inner conflict of the narrator regarding his evaluation of Bartleby. He describes Bartleby’s behavior as passive resistance. This description is effective because it is concise yet intricate.  Bartleby may appear to be openly defiant; however, he is not. Bartleby chooses his words carefully when he says “I would prefer not to”  (Melville n.p.). Instead of bluntly denying a request, he essentially says he would rather not; thus he chooses a passive approach. This is important because it leads the narrator to believe that his behavior is somehow of an involuntary nature. The narrator goes on to explain that if the person being resisted is not of a callous temper, and the resistor is not doing any harm, then the resisted may actually be sympathetic. He is inclined to favor compassion over logic. This is important because, under normal circumstances, a worker who performs inadequately will be terminated immediately. However, the narrator is able to overlook these behaviors, for a while, because he pities Bartleby. Occasionally, the narrator becomes irritated and feels the need to challenge Bartleby.  At this point in the story, Bartleby is still somewhat productive. As Bartleby gradually shifts towards total futility, the narrator becomes irritated more frequently.  After the narrator relocates and learns of Bartleby’s imprisonment, he is again struck with a wave of compassion. The narrator’s emotional duality is a major theme throughout the story as the reader sees him swing back and forth with his sentiments towards Bartleby. To learn more about duality, click here. The internal conflict affects the meaning of the story because, in the end, it teaches the narrator a lesson in humanity. He had an opportunity to offer Bartleby guidance and perhaps inspire him but, instead, he chose to abandon him to salvage his reputation.  He allows his concern for the opinions of others to override his conscience and, ultimately, seems to regret it. The narrator must experience guilt having speculated, correctly, the outcome of driving Bartleby away. He knew Bartleby's fate; he would be “driven forth miserably to starve" (Melville n.p.).

Work Cited

Melville, Herman. Bartleby, The Scrivener, A Story of Wall-street. 2. New York: G&P

            Putnam & Co., 1853. Web. <http://www.bartleby.com/129/>.