Illusion in Melville's Short Stories Term Paper

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Just like the letters, and just like Bartleby, everyone dies. The time that is spent living is spent completing meaningless tasks. This is what the narrator realizes at the novel's end, when he says "Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!" The final message is that society as a whole needs to find real meaning, and not continue to exist based on illusions of what is important.

In Billy Bud, illusion is used in a different way. Billy Bud is the main character who lives based on illusion because of his naivety. This naivety means that he is not able to see situations as they really are. For this reason, the evil Claggart is able to constantly manipulate him. This leads to Billy's downfall, and ultimately, his death.

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Much like Bartleby, the final message is that you cannot live based on illusion. Instead, you have to see the reality in situations. The major difference is that in Bartleby, Melville is referring to seeing the reality of society, while in Billy Bud, he is referring to seeing the reality of other people.

It has now been seen that both Bartleby and Billy Bud deal with the theme of illusion. They both show the tragic consequences that occur when people live based on accepting illusion, and fail to see reality. The final message is not to live in denial, but to open your eyes and see the truth of society as a whole and the individuals….....

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