Barthleby

Barthleby

  • Submitted By: Ivana
  • Date Submitted: 01/19/2009 11:44 AM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 340
  • Page: 2
  • Views: 354

“Bartleby the scrivener” is one of the most famous American Short stories, whose author is Herman Melville. In my personal opinion I think that this is the best story which we have read this term. “Bartleby the scrivener” is story about Bartleby, a man who works as a scrivener at the office in Wall Street. Main theme is effects of the surroundings on people. This story is perfect example of how people look like, how they act and how they have no time to be kind and good with other people. With one word in what kind of creatures’ life made of them. Every person has his own character, his own opinion, his own view about life, work, and love. All people are forming their personality from the surrounding that they live in from the good and bad things that they are facing with everyday. These things make every person unique and everyone have his or her own life story.
Bartleby is a really strange person, person like we are not used to see very often, and that is the thing that makes him very interesting character. It is very hard to define Bartleby. His whole physical appearance, his manners and conduct, seemed like puzzle. Bartleby never gave any signs of disturbance, anxiousness, or even gentleness. He was a man who was always using the same sentence: “I Prefer not to”, and with that he was expressing his feelings, his way of thinking. This sentence is neither yes or no. It is just saying that he would prefer not to do something, not that he will not do that. Every human being has its own right for his individual opinion, even though in most cases it is not always accepted by the others. This story is a perfect example of how every one’s opinion need to be respected. It is very easy to transfer our responsibility to others, which nowadays is very common thing.
“I would prefer not to.”
“You will not?”
“I prefer not to.” (1336)