Bartleby the Scrivener
In Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener," Melville questions the validity of property ownership in terms of dollars and cents. Through the actions of the lawyer and Bartleby, Melville portrays two contrary views concerning the importance of money in society. While the lawyer staunchly believes money is a commodity, assigning all materialistic things a dollar value, Bartleby indirectly implies his belief that money is merely a concept, openly disregarding and opposing its value and significance in society. The lawyer regards money as an asset by which daily life is run and around which society functions. He treats money as a significant aspect of life, deserving much attention and consideration in business affairs. When a "very pleasantly remunerative...office of Master in Chancery" was suddenly "abrogated" from the lawyer, he found much cause to "lose my temper; much more...indulge in dangerous indignation." His anger towards the loss of money exemplifies the importance he places on materialistic commodities and hints at his financial approach towards life. Although the lawyer deems this affair as "by the way," he never
Bartleby, unlike the lawyer, regards money as a mere concept, thinking it of little importance and disregarding its value in society. Bartleby does not acknowledge the potential value of money, choosing not to assign a dollar value to anything materialistic. While the rest of Wall Street hustles around its financial core, Bartleby's "poverty is great," and his very existence builds around his poverty. The lawyer realizes that Bartleby "must have ate, dressed, and slept in my office" without the lawyer's consent or knowledge. Bartleby's behavior supports his belief that property does not have a price, nor does it belong to any one law-abiding, tax-paying citizen. Property, like all other materialistic things in Bartleby's eyes, holds no monetary value, thus serving as a free element belonging to all. Bartleby's disregard for money further accounts for his refusal to receive money. When the lawyer gives him his salary, Bartleby "made no motion" and chooses not to touch it. His action supports his notion that money is a concept, having little worth and amounting to nothing in a worldly sense. He so firmly opposes money as a commodity and as a catalyst of pro
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Approximate Word count = 789
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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