Herman Melville's Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street always leaves a poignant lump in my throat. It is an absolutely heart-breaking tale of a man's descent into abject depression, and his last dignified attempt to reach out for human compassion, ultimately to be rejected as a result of confusion and misunderstanding. Melville illustrates perfectly the conflict between an uncaring world and our caring souls, and Bartleby clearly represents the type of depression and lost, lonely moods we inevitably feel at some point in our lives, needing human contact and understanding to bring us out of our blackness. The narrator's unintended rejection of Bartleby was the final nail in his coffin, and the pale scrivener allowed himself to drift away on the currents of the Lethe.
In particular, Melville eloquently described the narrator's internal conflicts, the turmoil between business-as-usual and a heartfelt sympathy for a fellow human being:
To a sensitive being, pity is not seldom pain. And when at
last it is perceived that such pity cannot lead to effectual succor, common
sense bids the soul be rid of it. What I saw that morning persuaded me that the
scrivener was the victim of innate and incurable disorder. I might give alms to
his body; but his body did not pain him; it was his soul that suffered, and his
soul I could not reach. (Melville, par 93)
In this passage Melville explains the conflict in the lawyer's mind as reaching a climax of hopelessness. The narrator is finally coming to terms with the realization that Bartleby is uncurable, unreachable, lost within his own shell, and this realization is a painful one. The narrator isn't without sympathy, and the knowledge that he will be unable to aid Bartleby is anything but soothing. He now knows that the practical solution would be to dismiss Bartleby and allow him to survive or not as he chooses, since the narrator isn't responsible for Bartleby's well-being, but practicality is a poor substitute for human caring, and the practical approach does nothing to calm the distress in the narrator's heart.
Melville is demonstrating quite clearly the human behavioral phenomenon of depression and society's reaction to it. People have an automatic desire to "perk up" depressed individuals, and we grow irritable and exasperated when our methods meet with little success. We reach a tormented impasse between our knowledge that we are not "our brother's keeper," that all men and women are ultimately responsible for themselves alone,...and our nurturing, caring nature that refuses to allow a fellow human being to suffer.
I'm generally not a fan of Melville's, but I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoy this short story. Extremely accurate portrayal of human nature!
I think it’s awesome that two people can read the same article and because of our unique prospective what of us see. The opposite side of the coin your side the depression of poor Bartelby. Mine the codependent actions of poor Melville. I agree with your point of view of course how can there be a codependent without one for them to be reconcilable for. I did not however see the death of Bartelby as a result of Melville leaving his office. I am surprised to find that anyone would enjoy reading extremely boring bibliography. However I did find a challenge in think it through. Thank you for your view point and helping me to see the other side. Terry
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your interpretation of the story James! I think you always bring a different perspective that I can't see. I found the story really hard to comprehend, and written with such complexity, that I felt it took away from the quality of it. What I did see was how the lawyer felt bound to Bartleby, yet frustrated with him. I think their is some grey area in this story as to what exactly Melville was trying to convey. Your interpretation was thought provoking. Unlike you however, I did not enjoy this reading in any way. But great post man, I enjoyed it!
ReplyDelete-Kyle Audis
Wow, great job analyzing this story. I am absolutely impressed at the points you brought forth and the explanations to your points. Your understanding helped further my explanations to what was going on with Bartleby and the troubled narrator. The passage you brought forward for us really sums up the story and the narrator's overall reaction to the poor depressed man who has given up on life.
ReplyDeleteYour explanation left me unsettled and awestruck. You do get frustrated when you try to cheer up someone who is depressed and no matter what you do they are unmoved. I sympathize with the narrator, though at the same time am in regret of how he handled the situation, though his intentions were good. Everything you posted is where I was trying to grasp but was missing some key fundamentals. Wonderful job, can't say it enough. I really liked your post on this as well as your pictures. Thanks for all your hard work, and I surely look forward to more of your post in the future! Take care and have a great weekend.
-David
James,
ReplyDeleteYour blog is interesting and thought provoking. I enjoyed how you were able to compare the author and Bartleby to this world. I also liked that you were able to bring it even closer to home and compare it to how we as individuals treat people with depression. Your post causes me to look at the short story in a different light and I really appreciate that. I like the part that you chose to analyze it truly could be the soul of the story. It is almost as if maybe the story is not really about Bartleby at all but the human reaction to suffering around us. Human kinds response when we cannot alleivate that suffering. The book and your post make us take a second look at ourselves.
Carli
Wow! Great blog post. I am so glad that I was able to read and comment on your work. Like you, I believe this piece of literature was meant to teach us about human nature. However, until reading your post I had not noticed this part of the article that you quoted. This is a great quote from the story and I believe it serves to add another layer of understanding into the human condition. I love the way you explained the difference between the needs of the body and the needs of the soul. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHey James,
ReplyDeleteI really really enjoyed your views on this story. My interpretation of Melville's story was very similar to yours. Your post embodied so many good views on "Bartleby, the Scrivener". I like your writing style and your honesty with your opinions. Your quoted text was spot on good choice.
Lauren
Hi James,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post. I agree with the statements that society always wants to "perk" up the depressed individual without actually fixing the person. That in society you should always just grin and bear it. I also liked how you pin pointed the fact that Melville could have just dismissed Bartleby and went on with his life unaffected by his depression any further.
Great job.
What an excellent post, James! If I would have been able to read your post prior to me reading this story, I honestly believe I would have been more in tune with what Melville was trying to portray. I agree with you that Bartleby was depressed and I think it was partly from the lack of human relationships. I am not sure that was the only thing Bartleby was suffering from, but I guess that is all up to the individual person reading the story. Thank you for the enlightening aspects that you brought up. Absolutely enjoyed your post, great job!
ReplyDelete