Mystery of Melville's "Bartleby the Research Proposal

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He determines that Bartleby suffers from a mental trauma. These actions come from a man of which the narrator and the readers know very little. It would seem logical for the narrator to assume Bartleby had suffered some cruel injustice. The narrator feels pity for Bartleby because he seems sad; he goes nowhere, seems to eat or drink nothing, and says nothing. Everything the narrator and readers feel at this point are not because of anything Bartleby does per se. These emotions are based on very little and Bartleby does not provoke any of them.

Bartleby has a connection to death. This last piece of information the narrator reveals might be the most significant in regard to understanding Bartleby's behavior. Being a clerk in the Dead Letter Office must certainly take its toll on someone, the narrator surmises. This occupation seems to fit Bartleby's nature; the narrator describes Bartleby as being "pallid" and "incurably forlorn" (Melville). The connection readers find to Bartleby and death is how the man is like one of the letters that goes nowhere. All of the good things people may have written down to encourage others are lost. Strangely, the sender of the letter never knows the letter did not arrive. They assume it did, never once thinking it was lost along the way and made it into the hands of a man tragically affected by it. Good cheer and hope "speed to death" (Melville), much like Bartleby did. Bartleby seemed to speed his way toward death because of his reticent behavior. He chose not to work or reveal anything about himself. He literally wasted away without a clue as to why. Dead letters go unanswered like the questions surrounding Bartleby's life.

By providing the reader with few facts about Bartleby, Melville gives the reader the opportunity to come to his own conclusion about the character.

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There are theories that "Bartleby" represents the consumerism of mankind. The tale could also be an exploration into the psyche of man, played out through the narrator's "good" deeds toward Bartleby. His good deeds, however, do not rescue him from what he feels at the end of the tale. The tale could also be interpreted as one revolving around communication. The narrator interprets everything readers know about Bartleby and it is obvious the narrator cannot forget about Bartleby and is so compelled about his experience with him that he writes the story. His exasperation, however, does him no good. He cannot help Bartleby and, strangely, he cannot help himself from feeling any different than he does. The story does little to explain anything to the reader or the narrator, which emphasizes the reader's importance to the tale. Melville did not want to convey much about Bartleby because he wanted the reader to think for him or herself about the story, people and human nature on his or her own terms.

"Bartleby the Scrivener" is a compelling tale in that while it tells a story, the story it does not tell is equally important as the story it does tell. Readers learn very little about Bartleby because he is a man of few words. Readers are also dependent upon the narrator for descriptions and interpretations. He appears to be a reliable narrator and his inability to come to any strong conclusions makes the reader work on his or her interpretation. Clearly, the story is one about the nature of man and the value of communication. These two men attempted to communicate with one another but they failed, proving it is more difficult than one might guess.

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