A Character Comparison of Harold Krebs and Bartleby, the Scr

A detailed Summary of A Character Comparison of Harold Krebs and Bartleby, the Scr

A Character Comparison of Harold Krebs and Bartleby, the Scrivener

Earnest Hemingway's "Soldier's Home" and Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener" are both short stories written about characters who have problems dealing with or being a part of society. Harold Krebs in "Soldier's Home" and Bartleby in "Bartleby, the Scrivener" have two completely different reasons for their inability to function in society. Harold Krebs came home from Germany years after the war had ended and long after all of the other soldiers had been welcomed home. Surprisingly, he did not want to talk about the war. When he decided to talk about the war, no one was interested in his stories. On the contrary, Bartleby a Wall Street scrivener isolates himself behind a screen in an office and never desires to communicate even to the extent of refusal if enticed. No matter what their reasons both of these main characters share the refusal of work, a diminished will to live, and an ultimate rejection of society.

The protagonist in both stories appears rather withdrawn and depressed. Both of their environments serve as a sort of isolation from the outside world. Bartleby's isolation perhaps is not by choice on the other hand, Krebs seem

These two characters also demonstrate a diminished will to live. Krebs does not know how to conform to the civilian way of life after all the bloodshed he witnessed and participated in during the war. It states in the short story that when Krebs met up with another soldier in his town, "He fell into the easy pose of the old solider among soldiers" (Hemingway 140). Krebs feels comfortable around other soldiers, around other men who saw and did the same things he did. The soldiers have seen things that most men will never see. They saw things that could change people's lives for the worst. The character, Krebs will never again be the same person he was before World War I. The story gives the impression that Krebs's will to live has diminished. Similarly, Bartleby's decision to quit everything in his life had a detrimental affect on his own existence. Bartleby lost his will to live because the world refused to accept him for the way he was. Near the end of the story, the narrator goes to visit Bartleby. As he enters the prison, a man confronts him. "Is that your friend?" "Yes." "Does he want to starve? If he does, let him live on the prison fare, that's all" (Melville 132). It is obvious even to the prison orderly that Bartleby has lost his will to live.

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Approximate Word count = 868
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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