how should we regard bartleby’s responses to the lawyer?

When he answers the Lawyer’s questions he does not lose his patience, because he knows that his principles are the best and that he has the right to use these principles in his life. He also knows that the Lawyer cannot break these principles. When he defends them he seems solid like a stone.

Full Answer

What does the lawyer decide about Bartleby’s behavior in the office?

Once he’s alone in the office, The Lawyer determines that Bartleby must be eating, dressing, and even sleeping in the office. The Lawyer ... (full context) The Lawyer ruminates on how he should handle this situation. Despite his resolution to dismiss Bartleby should... (full context)

Is the lawyer willing to tolerate Bartleby?

Like most reasonable people, The Lawyer’s charitable urges have a breaking point—he’s willing to tolerate Bartleby until Bartleby’s presence threatens to hurt his business.

Is Bartleby a dead letter from the lawyer?

This irony of the text has led some critics to argue that the story of Bartleby is itself a dead letter that The Lawyer has written to a dead man to tell him what he couldn’t say in life. The Bartleby, the Scrivener quotes below are all either spoken by The Lawyer or refer to The Lawyer.

Why does Bartleby refuse the lawyer’s aid?

That is why Bartleby’s behavior is not because of his madness but because of his strength and power, which he uses to live. When he refuses the Lawyer’s aid he also builds a wall between himself and the rest of the world. He does not want the Lawyer to become a part of his world.

What is Bartleby's most common response when asked to do work?

He calls Bartleby in to do the job, but Bartleby responds: "I would prefer not to." This answer amazes the Lawyer, who has a "natural expectancy of instant compliance." He is so amazed by this response, and the calm way Bartleby says it, that he cannot even bring himself to scold Bartleby.

How does Bartleby respond to every request?

After living up to the standards of his employer for a period of time, the new hire, Bartleby, begins to answer every request with one simple yet startling response: “I would prefer not to.”

How does the lawyer deal with Bartleby?

The Lawyer arranges for Bartleby to be fed good food in jail, but Bartleby refuses to eat. Finally, one day, the narrator visits Bartleby, who has fallen asleep under a tree in the prison yard. The Lawyer goes to speak to him and discovers Bartleby is dead.

How does the lawyer react to Bartleby's responses to his numerous requests?

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.

How does the lawyer change in Bartleby the Scrivener?

With the sudden changes of Bartleby, the Lawyer feels overpowered, and it is like he does not have any power over his employees like Bartleby. Marcus explains that Bartleby is a psychological double for the Lawyer. The author says that Bartlebys power over the Lawyer quickly grows as the story progresses (Marcus 1).

What does Bartleby refuse to do for a few days after the lawyer discovers him in his office on a Sunday?

A few days later, Bartleby refuses to take part in scanning his own sheaf of quadruplicates. The lawyer, exasperated to the breaking point, asks his other employees their opinion in the matter. Turkey agrees that the lawyer has made a reasonable request; Nippers suggests that they kick Bartleby out of the office.

What is the lawyer's attitude toward his work and his workers Bartleby?

Like most reasonable people, The Lawyer's charitable urges have a breaking point—he's willing to tolerate Bartleby until Bartleby's presence threatens to hurt his business.

Why is the lawyer the protagonist in Bartleby the Scrivener?

The Lawyer: The narrator of the story is a gray-haired Wall Street lawyer. He is the protagonist of the story because the plot is driven by his problem and goal. He has two major conflicts which drive the story. The first is his outer conflict with Bartleby.

What is the significance of Bartleby's resistance?

However, rather than flat-out refuse his boss's requests (which would likely lead to his dismissal), Bartleby uses a strategy of passive resistance, which, for a long time, allows him to both stay employed and keep his daily tasks within the limited set of responsibilities he finds acceptable.

What is the message of Bartleby the Scrivener?

Characterized as a symbolic fable of self-isolation and passive resistance to routine, "Bartleby, the Scrivener" reveals the decremental extinction of a human spirit.

When the narrator vacates his office where does Bartleby go?

The Narrator decides, rather irrationally, that instead of forcing Bartleby to leave the office, he will pack up his whole practice and move to another building, just to escape.