Since he will not quit me, I must quit him. "Ah Bartleby, Ah Humanity." (Page 140, Herman Melville) This is the key to Bartleby, written by Herman Melville, for it indicates that Bartleby stands as a symbol for humanity. This in turn functions as a commentary on society and the working world, for Bartleby is a seemingly homeless, mentally disturbed scrivener who gives up on the prospect of living life.
However, by doing so Bartleby is attempting to exercise his freewill, for he would "prefer not to" work. His relationship to the narrator is thus significant, for as he attempts to exercise his freewill he is breaking from the will of the narrator and the normal progression of life. However, this attempt to exercise his freewill and
|
This is only the first few lines of this paper. If you would like to view the entire paper you need to register here.
|
Get Instant Access to 100,000 Essays!!
|
|
