what task is bartleby supposed to complete for the lawyer?
by Devyn Mertz
Published 2 years ago
Updated 1 year ago
8 min read
What does the lawyer decide about Bartleby’s behavior in the office?
Mar 27, 2012 · The narrator's complacence to Bartleby's slow drop in work-ethic may be to criticize the routine and sterile world the lawyer lives in, doing "safe" but well-paid work on Wall Street. The narrator in the story has practiced for many years--he is in his early sixties--and is in a career for an 'eminently safe man.'
What is the conflict of the lawyer's first problem with Bartleby?
Oct 11, 2021 · 'Bartleby, the Scrivener' is the first-person account of a Wall Street lawyer's conflict with his employee, an eccentric scrivener named Bartleby. This …
Is the lawyer willing to tolerate Bartleby?
Bartleby ’s actions throughout the story come to embody the idea of passive resistance. By the story’s end, Bartleby therefore becomes an antagonist to The Lawyer ’s goal of getting the most productivity out of his workers. While Bartleby begins as an exemplary employee, he soon says he “would prefer not to” do any of the tasks The Lawyer asks of him other than write.
Is Bartleby a dead letter from the lawyer?
Feb 26, 2010 · Bartleby comes off as a very stubborn worker at first, always answering his boss, the lawyer, with the statement “I would prefer not to” (117). No matter how big or small the task would be, Bartleby’s response never changed always answering with “I would prefer not to.” Bartleby’s lack of work was not necessarily him being lazy.
What does the lawyer do for Bartleby?
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.
Where does Bartleby work before he comes to work for the lawyer?
As a rather odd end note, the narrator informs us that Bartleby previously worked as a clerk in an obscure branch of the Post Office known as the Dead Letter Office, sorting through undeliverable mail. We have to wonder what kind of effect these "dead" letters must have had on his psyche.
How does Bartleby respond when asked to complete different tasks by the lawyer?
When questioned by the lawyer as to what he would prefer to do if given the choice, Bartleby responds that he is not particular. In fact, nothing appeals to him.
What is the deeper meaning 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.
Why did Melville write Bartleby?
Melville wrote “Bartleby” at a time when his career seemed to be in ruins, and the story reflects his pessimism. The narrator, a successful Wall Street lawyer, hires a scrivener named Bartleby to copy legal documents.
How does the narrator respond to Bartleby?
The narrator pretends not to know Bartleby's name, and originally refuses to do anything about him. However, once the narrator finds a way to rationalize the interaction (by fearing his own exposure in the papers), he immediately runs off in his attempt to convince Bartleby to quit the premises.
What does Bartleby refuse to do a few days after the narrator discovers him in his office on 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.
Who is nippers in Bartleby?
Nippers. Nippers is another scrivener, or law-copyist, employed by the Lawyer in "Bartleby the Scrivener." Nipper is the opposite of his fellow scrivener Turkey; Nipper is young, and he works best in the afternoon. In the morning, he is troubled by stomach problems and a constant need to adjust the height of his desk.
Who is the narrator in Bartleby the Scrivener?
The story's first-person narrator is the lawyer who runs the law office. He begins by informing the reader that he has known many scriveners (law-copyists) during his time as a lawyer, but none as interesting as Bartleby.
What does the lawyer say about Bartleby?
In a small epilogue, the lawyer says that he can't shed any light on who Bartleby was or what was wrong with him. All he knows is that Bartleby, before coming to work for him, worked at the Dead Letter Office burning undeliverable mail, much of it letters and packages for dead people.