The Lawyer begins by noting that he is an "elderly man," and that his profession has brought him "into more than ordinary contact with what would seem an interesting and somewhat singular set of men the law-copyists, or scriveners." While the Lawyer knows many interesting stories of such scriveners, he bypasses them ...
Prior to Bartleby's entrance, the narrator describes himself as an experienced, self-possessed professional. He knows what he wants and he has acquired it. “I am a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best” (1).
The Lawyer is the unnamed narrator of "Bartleby the Scrivener." He owns a law firm on Wall Street, and he employs four men as scriveners, or copyists: Turkey, Nippers, Ginger Nut, and Bartleby. The Lawyer is about sixty years old. He is level-headed, industrious, and has a good mind for business.
Story DetailsCharacters/ThemesExplanationsThe lawyerthe protagonist and narrator of the storyTurkeyan old scrivener who is the same general age as the lawyer, 60Nippersan ambitious scrivener with a fiery personality.Ginger-nuta 12-year-old assistant who fetches cakes for Turkey and Nippers4 more rows•Oct 11, 2021
The lawyer visits Bartleby to convince him to eat and get through to him, but it doesn't work and Bartleby dies. The lawyer sensitivity and empathy towards Bartleby raises questions to the lawyers sincerity.
The narrator of Bartleby is not a selfish man. Instead, he was the type of man who tried to do everything for someone who was in need.
Physical Appearance Bartleby, on the other hand, is pallid, thin, and "cadaverous," which exhibits his strange emotional coldness and inhuman remoteness.
Bartleby, the Scrivener Characters We never learn his real name, as The Lawyer refers to him only by his nickname. A twelve-year-old helper who works in the law office. In this narrative he mostly runs errands for the other scriveners, often venturing out to get them food.
The lawyer acts quite contrary to what one would expect, especially from a lawyer. He appears to be calm and almost non-irritable by Bartleby's responses.
Bartleby teaches many lessons which are learned through his social status situation in the story. The main theme in this short story is that it is extremely hard to go against the grain in society especially during the middle 1800's.
Bartleby slowly lost even the ambition to do his job. Moreover, Bartleby's repeated response of “preferring not too” shows no ill will but is simply a refusal. Having no interest in money or leaving, he breaks the unspoken hierarchal structure in the workplace and creates his own option.
However, though Bartleby is physically weak, he has incredible mental strength; his passive resistance to anything demanded of him or suggested to him is unbreakable.