Story of Bartleby

A detailed Summary of Story of Bartleby

Throughout the story 'Bartleby' two characters share a certain relationship that seems to be unbreakable. The narrator shares a special relationship with Bartleby. Both characters have similarities in their personalities and the way they act. Generally we look at them as being similar in the way they act, but we do not really go in depth and discuss the way they think and reason. Once the meaning between the lines is analyzed, we realize these two people share strange and remarkable dispositions.

In the beginning of the story, when the two characters first meet, they seem to us as though they have different views on working conditions. The narrator is the kind of person who believes that the easiest way of life is the best. Nothing can interfere with his private life or disrupt it in any way. He takes care of things outside home and the rest can be dealt with in its own time. He does not worry about anything other than his well being unless he is preoccupied with something. He is apathetic in every sense of the word and he is rather lazy sometimes. He leads a good successful life; his work pleases him since he does the least necessary that will accomplish it. Bartleby on the other hand is a quiet and silent scrivener

Finally the narrator realizes as time went by, Bartleby sat at the office doing absolutely nothing. He started to seem dead. Soon he did nothing; he would sit and stare out of a window for endless periods of time. He found out Bartleby worked at a Dead Letters Office. The narrator realizes that people who work there become dead men themselves. To him, Bartleby seemed to be like a dead letter. He had nothing to look forward to, and no one to receive him. He had no one to take care of him. He was just lost in the middle of nowhere, a case of hopelessness. Thus, even though Bartleby is not good for business, and even though he has no obligation to Bartleby, the narrator cannot forget about him because of the pity he feels. The narrator wants Bartleby to stay with him. He is tells him and reassures him that he is there for him. He will take well care of him. He will not be like any extra baggage and that it is no trouble for him if Bartleby stays with him, in fact he prefers it if he does stay with him.

Although Bartleby and the narrator are very similar in their attitude towards work, Bartleby acts out these feelings in a more dramatic way. This makes the narrator feel pity for him. Bartleby neither eats nor goes anywhere. The narrator tries to get along with him and befriend him even more. He wants to keep Bartleby because if Bartleby changes employers, the new employers might treat Bartleby with rudeness and disrespect. He thinks to himself if he takes care of Bartleby his conscience will be pure and he will feel better about himself. Bartleby of course angers his employer from time to time because his habits of preferring not to are exceeding. He will not do most of the

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1141
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English