Bartleby The Scrivener — Melissa Quist.pdf - Quist 1...

Quist 1
Melissa Quist
Professor Cluff
ENG250-01
23 April 2019
The Walls Within “Bartleby the Scrivener”
The tale of “Bartleby the Scrivener” by Herman Melville is a story of a strangely
enigmatic, passive man. This man, Bartleby, works as a scrivener for a Lawyer from whom we
see the perspective of this narrative. The Lawyer has many difficulties understanding Bartleby
and the reasoning behind his actions, and it is safe to say this incomprehension of Bartleby
carries over to readers of the story. Despite this incomprehension, the story of Bartleby is one
that continues to fascinate readers. Part of what fascinates readers about the story as well as the
character of Bartleby is the impossibility of interpreting or understanding him. There are many
walls that Bartleby is put behind—some out of his own volition and others which were built for
him. These walls are both physical and symbolic, and they aid in creating boundaries and a
disconnect between Bartleby and the other characters as well as Bartleby and the reader.
Walls are a controlling symbol of “Bartleby the Scrivener,” and Melville uses this symbol
both to embody certain characteristics and themes as well as create the world of the story. Part of
the reason this symbolism is so powerful is because of all the things that walls can represent.
Walls are used to create boundaries and divide things, as well as install a disconnect and
separation between people. The walls found within the story of “Bartleby the Scrivener” come to
embody the isolation that Bartleby faces due to his own and other’s actions, and they are the very
thing that enable the inscrutability of Bartleby’s character.

Quist 2
Bartleby is surrounded by physical walls which often represent the walls he has built up
inside of himself. Though Bartleby is the character about whom the story is being told, little to
nothing is known about him. This is due to a variety of reasons, but one of the first is that
Bartleby isolates himself from others. This isolation takes a variety of forms and each form
builds a different wall that keeps readers and other characters from understanding Bartleby.
Attempts are made throughout the story to learn Bartleby’s history and understand him, yet he
refuses to give any information pertaining to himself. This lack of information plays a large role
in the enigma of Bartleby’s character.
No one understands Bartleby or the things he does, and one of the reasons for this is
Bartleby’s refusal to share information with anyone about himself or his past. Bartleby distances
himself from others not only through his refusal to share personal information but also through
his personality—or lack thereof. Bartleby’s personality is described as mechanical and reserved,
and at first the Lawyer believes that Bartleby will be a perfect balance for the other workers;
however it is soon seen that this is another wall that Bartleby puts between himself and others.