Bartleby, the Hero in Herman Melville’s Short Story...

Bartleby, The Hero in Herman Melville’s short Story Bartleby the Scrivener In Herman Melville’s short story Bartleby the Scrivener, Bartleby is the hero. The reasons as to why Bartleby is considered the hero of the story are that first, the character refuses to write in his job in the law office. He even starves himself to death by refusing to eat, but in the end, the spirit of Bartleby still remains alive and haunts the narrator. Throughout his life, the narrator remains haunted by the spiritual pride and continues to struggle with the principles of morality and justice. Bartleby is also a hero because he not only shows his courage towards confronting the society using his will power, but he also shapes the conscience of the†¦show more content†¦This aspect of Bartleby’s heroism affects the story by developing a new theme to the story and developing the character of the narrator who is part of the story as the boss to Bartleby. It develops the theme of association between chronometrical time and the world of the spirits. It also changes the character of the narrator because he develops a new attitude towards time, and the world of spirits, which changes his normal way of belief. The narrator of the story becomes shocked when he discovers that Bartleby, who only feeds on ginger nuts, has never left the office. This is actually the first time that the narrator experiences the spiritual power that Bartleby possesses. The narrator is so much business oriented that he only looks at the world in terms of profits. However, when he encounters this aspect of the spirit of Bartleby, his attitude towards life changes. He begins appreciating the fact that Bartleby deserves better treatment, not in the capitalist way. The narrator even sees what is a right, just as an asset, but this perception is later changed by Bartleby’s spirit: â€Å"What earthly right have you to stay here? Do you pay any rent? Do you pay my taxes? Or is this pro perty yours?† (Melville, 41). The perception of the narrator, of everything including rights of Bartleby as assets prevents the narrator from understanding the spiritual aspect of the pride in Bartleby. Although the narratorShow MoreRelated Comparing Loss of Self in Soldiers Home, Pauls Case, and Bartleby1442 Words   |  6 PagesLoss of Self in Hemingways Soldiers Home, Cathers Pauls Case, and Melvilles Bartleby the Scrivener  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Hemingways Soldiers Home, Cathers Pauls Case, and Melvilles Bartleby the Scrivener all present a loss of self. These stories prove that there is a fine line between finding ones self and losing ones self. I believe this loss can occur at any age or station of life. This idea is seen in each storys main character. Hemingways Soldiers Home depicts a young man inRead More Herman Melvilles Bartleby, the Scrivener Essay3521 Words   |  15 PagesHerman Melvilles Bartleby, the Scrivener The narrator states fairly early on in Herman Melvilles Bartleby, the Scrivener that both he and Bartleby are sons of Adam (55). The phrase plays on a double entendre, referring to both the Calvinist Biblical Eden and to the view of America as the new Eden. Many recent critics have traced the biblical aspects of this and other elemen ts of the story, claiming the character of Bartleby as a Christ-figure, and as such carries out the role of aRead MoreEssay on The Haunting of Humanity: Herman Melville2719 Words   |  11 Pages Herman Melville (1819-1891) is an American writer who is widely acclaimed, among his most admired works are â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† and â€Å"Benito Cereno† which both first appeared as magazine pieces and only published in 1856 as part of a collection. â€Å"Bartleby† was a story reflecting on the business world of the mid-19th century se t in New York none of its most famous and sometimes dangerous street: Wall Street. Bartleby a strange but intriguing man becomes employed in a legal office and in hisRead MoreAnalysis of Herman Melville ´s Bartleby, the Scrivencer Essay2703 Words   |  11 Pages Herman Melville (1819-1891) is an American writer who is widely acclaimed, among his most admired works are â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† and â€Å"Benito Cereno† which both first appeared as magazine pieces and only published in 1856 as part of a collection. â€Å"Bartleby† was a story reflecting on the business world of the mid-19th century se t in New York none of its most famous and sometimes dangerous street: Wall Street. Bartleby a strange but intriguing man becomes employed in a legal office andRead More Bartleby, the Villain in Bartleby, the Scrivener Essay2873 Words   |  12 PagesBartleby, the Villian in  Bartleby, the Scrivener      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Herman Melvilles short story, Bartleby, the Scrivener, poses many moral questions, but refuses to answer them nicely and neatly. Unfortunately, Melvilles ambiguities have lead to some unusual interpretations concerning the ethics of the unnamed lawyer who narrates the story.   While it may seem perfectly obvious to most of us that he goes out of his way to be sensitive to Bartlebys needs, beginning with the narrators allowing