the lawyer narrates bartlebys downfall, how oes he explain bartlebys death is he right

What does the lawyer give Bartleby at the end of the story?

The Lawyer gives Bartleby all the money the scrivener is owed, plus the 20-dollar bonus. He tells Bartleby that he wishes him well, and that if he can be of service to the scrivener, Bartleby shouldn’t hesitate to contact The Lawyer.

What does the narrator conclude about Bartleby's general behavior?

Days later, the narrator contemplates Bartleby's general behavior. He discerns that he never dines out and lives on a scanty diet of ginger cakes. Filled with compassion, the narrator concludes that firing Bartleby would expose him to rough treatment for his involuntary eccentricities, and so he congratulates himself for opting to be charitable.

How does the lawyer react to Bartleby's condition?

The Lawyer trusts Bartleby fully despite not knowing anything about him, and he cannot figure out that the fact that Bartleby arrives early to and leaves late from the office is caused by his condition of living there.

What does Bartleby say when the lawyer asks him to compare the sheet?

After questioning what Bartleby means by this phrase, The Lawyer gets up, walks over to Bartleby, and again tells his employee to come and compare the sheet with him for errors, thrusting the sheet over the screen towards his employee. But Bartleby doesn’t take it, and instead repeats that he “would prefer not to.”

How does the lawyer describe Bartleby?

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 ...

What does Bartleby's death mean?

The ending of Bartleby the Scrivener is very vague. At the end Battleby starves to death in prison, meaning that he not only fasted, but he also sacrificed himself. This is a reference to certain religious martyrs who sacrificed themselves in order to peacefully preserve their faith.

What causes Bartleby's death?

But still Bartleby haunted the old chamber. The landlord and new tenants of the chamber called the police and evicted him, and put him into prison meant for the vagrants. There Bartleby died. “On errands of life, these letters speed to death.”

How does the lawyer feel about Bartleby?

The Lawyer believes he is doing a good, Christian thing by allowing Bartleby to continue existing in his office. However, Bartleby's presence soon begins to draw the notice of some of the Lawyer's clientele, and he decides that Bartleby is bad for business.

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 narrator rid himself of Bartleby?

The narrator can't do anything to get rid of him, so he just lets him sit around and gets Nippers and Turkey to pick up his slack.

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).

Why does the Lawyer help Bartleby?

The lawyer attempts to ease Bartleby back into reality because it assures him that he has not wasted his own life.

What is the lesson in Bartleby the Scrivener?

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.

Is the narrator the lawyer in Bartleby?

Herman Melville's 'Bartleby, the Scrivener' is a short story that takes place in a Wall Street law office. The story's first-person narrator is the lawyer who runs the law office.

What is one idea the narrator has to rid himself of Bartleby after he refuses to leave?

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.

Why did the narrator not fire Bartleby?

The Narrator does this because he cannot bare to be mean to Bartleby, because he just does not have it in him to do anything negative towards him. He even tries to bribe him with extra pay for him to leave the office, rather than simply firing him.

What does Bartleby do in The Lawyer?

At first, Bartleby provides The Lawyer with an enormous quantity of writing, working nonstop all day and not pausing for lunch. The Lawyer notes that he would have been quite delighted by this, if not for the fact that Bartleby writes “silently, palely, mechanically” rather than with any delight. The Lawyer then mentions that an important part of a scrivener’s job is to re-read what they have written in order to check for mistakes. Traditionally, when there is more than one scrivener present, they help each other with their corrections, and, because it’s tedious, The Lawyer believes this is not work that someone like “the mettlesome poet, Byron,” would be willing to do.

What does the lawyer learn from Bartleby?

The Lawyer learns some of Bartleby’s qualifications —the most he learns about Bartleby in the entire story —and he fails to share it with the reader (another example of language being unreliable). The layout of the office is a clear example of the disconnected modern workplace: the boss sits in a separate room from his employees, and even when he places Bartleby near him, The Lawyer puts a screen around the scrivener so that he cannot see his employee.

Why does Bartleby leave the office late?

The Lawyer trusts Bartleby fully despite not knowing anything about him, and he cannot figure out that the fact that Bartleby arrives early to and leaves late from the office is caused by his condition of living there. This epitomizes how disconnected the office is, as well as how sharing language has failed to create a close-knit bond in the office. Additionally, Bartleby’s passive resistance becomes even more controlling of the office, changing The Lawyer’s habits and leaving Bartleby’s unchanged.

How old is Ginger Nut in Bartleby?

Although Bartleby spends literally all of his time in the office, The Lawyer is unable to get to know him better, and the only member of the office Bartleby interacts with is Ginger Nut, a twelve-year-old boy. Though The Lawyer could potentially learn about Bartleby from his young employee, he never ventures to ask Ginger Nut about his elusive scrivener. The Lawyer’s strange thought-process about Bartleby’s diet is derived from the Theory of Humorism, and its nonsensical conclusion is another example of language (and logic) failing to illuminate the truth.

Why did the lawyer put Bartleby close to the desk?

In the past, The Lawyer says that he has helped with correcting copy himself, and one of the reasons he placed Bartleby so close by was so that he could easily call him over to go through this correcting process. However, on the third day (The Lawyer thinks) of Bartleby’s employment, The Lawyer hastily calls Bartleby over to correct a paper he is holding. He holds the copy out for Bartleby to take, but Bartleby never comes to his desk, instead calling out from behind the screen, “I would prefer not to.”

How old is Nippers in The Lawyer?

Next, The Lawyer details his employee Nippers, who is also a scrivener. Nippers is about twenty-five years old, has yellow complexion, wears a mustache, and, in The Lawyer’s view, is “victim of two evil powers—ambition and indigestion.”.

Why is the lawyer skeptical of Bartleby?

Even before his usefulness wanes, The Lawyer is already skeptical of Bartleby because he doesn’t take joy in his work. However, because the office is so personally disconnected, he chooses not to discuss this with Bartleby at all. Additionally, The Lawyer stating that an important part of a scrivener’s job is to correct copies is in itself an example of the imperfection of language: even those whose job it is to write exact copies all day often make mistakes.

What does Bartleby conclude about Bartleby?

He finds Bartleby's savings knotted in a bandanna and thrust into a recess of his desk and concludes that Bartleby has been living in the office at night. Thinking over Bartleby's general behavior, the lawyer concludes that the man does not converse, read, drink beer, or dine out.

What does Ginger Nut think of Bartleby?

Ginger Nut, the least mature of the foursome, suspects Bartleby of lunacy. Bartleby, saying nothing in his defense, withdraws to his corner. Days later, the narrator contemplates Bartleby's general behavior. He discerns that he never dines out and lives on a scanty diet of ginger cakes.

What does the narrator reject?

When confronted by such irrational behavior, the narrator rejects violence and vituperation. Instead, he resorts to the parlance and behavior of his profession, debating the situation as though it were a court matter, or else withdrawing from the scene or into the complexities of work as a means of quelling an inner compulsion to strike out at his mulish copyist. The contretemps that exists between the two men is the equivalent of a modern-day professional person trying to coax work from a recalcitrant machine, for the narrator considers Bartleby a "valuable acquisition," similar in modern times to a photocopier, computer printer, or fax machine.

How many times does Bartleby say he would prefer not to proofread a small document?

He is compulsive about his copying, "gorging" himself on documents. On the third day, however, he surprises his employer by casually stating three separate times that he would "prefer not to" assist in proofreading a small document. Ordinarily, the narrator would have considered firing Bartleby, but because of Bartleby's composure and rational manner and because the narrator is preoccupied with business, he moves on to more pressing matters.

How many days does Bartleby leave his job?

The lawyer knows that Bartleby is alone in the world, but nonetheless, he gives him six days to leave his employ. Surrounded by functionary stereotypes, the lawyer, a round character, considers himself a "safe" man. As such, he is conservative, rational, and ostensibly a charitable, approachable, but WASPish citizen.

What happens to Bartleby's vision in the office?

Still, the lawyer delays taking action. The next day, Bartleby reveals that his vision is impaired.

What is the High Court of Chancery?

High Court of Chancery a court which hears lawsuits and cases involving fair distribution of goods.

Why is Bartleby's comment so perplexing?

Bartleby’s comment is perplexing for two reasons. First, Bartleby defends his refusal to work without any explanation and yet assumes the lawyer would understand. Second, Bartleby asks whether the lawyer does not see the reason, which is particularly strange because “his eyes looked dull and glazed.”.

What is the story of Bartleby the Scrivener?

in. Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street. Bartleby: The lawyer hires Bartleby to be a scrivener, a scribe who copies court and legal documents, for his law firm. While initially a prolific worker, Bartleby slowly begins to resist direct instruction, repeating the phrase “I prefer not to” when asked to do something.

What does the narrator's love for Astor mean?

The narrator’s love for Astor indicates that he is of the upper class. Caitlin, Owl Eyes Staff.

What was the most deadly and violent class conflict in a series of disturbances in New York City from 1840 to?

See in text (Bartleby, the Scrivener) John Jacob Astor’s presence in this story draws attention to the class conflict prevalent in this time. The Astor Place Riot of 1949 was the most deadly and violent class conflict in a series of disturbances in New York City from 1840–1850.

What is paroxysm in a nipper?

A “paroxysm” is an episode in which a disease becomes more acute in its symptoms. Melville uses the word humorously, referring to how Nippers and Turkey experience bouts of ill temper at alternating times of day.

What does "humor" mean in a lawyer?

Since the lawyer can open and close these doors as he pleases, this reveals his privileged position of power compared to his employees ; they have no say in the office layout nor in whether or not the doors are open or closed.

What is a Dun in a nipper?

A “dun” is a debt collector. Though the lawyer either does not know or does not discuss the nature of Nippers’s activities outside the office, it is likely that they are of a clandestine nature.

What would happen if Bartleby refused the lawyer's aid?

But what can happen if some day Bartleby decided not to refuse the Lawyer’s aid? Would this aid help Bartleby return to the normal world? No, it would not, but would make it more difficult for Bartleby to defend his principles. If he accepted the aid, he would also have to accept all other norms of the modern world. However, because Bartleby is so active and brave in his wish to protect his principles and his life, he influences and changes everyone around him: “Somehow, of late I had got into the way of involuntary using this word ‘prefer’ upon all sorts of not exactly suitable occasions.

Why is Bartleby so active?

However, because Bartleby is so active and brave in his wish to protect his principles and his life, he influences and changes everyone around him: “Somehow, of late I had got into the way of involuntary using this word ‘prefer’ upon all sorts of not exactly suitable occasions.

What would Bartleby be like if he was insane?

Melville describes Bartleby as a very calm and balanced person. When he refuses to check the copies he does not show that is he worried or disturbed. He sees that the Lawyer is getting very angry and disturbed. He also sees that the Lawyer is becoming very irritated. If Bartleby were insane, he would not be able to preserve balance and calmness. If he were insane he would be more emotional with the Lawyer. Moreover, he is very confident that his principles of life are very correct. If he were not that confident, he would not make the Lawyer so much curious about himself.

What does Melville try to prove in Bartleby?

Many people also cannot understand why he behaves this way. Melville tries to prove that Bartleby has his principles and cannot betray them.

Why is Bartleby the Scrivener so weird?

Herman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener is a confusing work of literature. Some researchers think that in the story Melville described himself. Some others think that this is because of madness that Bartleby behaves so weird and finally, dies. In reality, Bartleby refuses to check some copies, but that cannot mean he is mad.

What is the conclusion of Bartleby the Scrivener?

Conclusion Herman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener is one of the most confusing works of literature. On the one hand, readers cannot understand who Bartleby is, who he was, and who he wants to be. On the other hand, everything we read about Bartleby looks like the story about a mad man. In reality, it is not madness, ...

What would happen if a lawyer was insane?

If he were insane he would be more emotional with the Lawyer. Moreover, he is very confident that his principles of life are very correct. If he were not that confident, he would not make the Lawyer so much curious about himself. He would not be able to be so calm and to defend his principles.