Themes of Hopelessness in Herman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener Essa

We can never be one hundred share certain of the validity of our literary analyses. This is especially the case with Herman Melvilles Bartleby the Scrivener. Critics have been trying for decades to make sense of the text and most will severalize it as inscrutable. I dont claim to know better than the critics, but instead offer my own interpretation of the work. Based on my observations and analysis, Melvilles use of many elements in his storyfirst and foremost the character of Bartleby, but also the dead letters, the many walls of rampart Street, and the state of Wall Street itselfworks well to develop a sense of hopelessness, whether intentional or not, in the story as well as the narrator and therefore the reader. This hopelessness could stem from a number of influences, such as a certain incurable disorder which some critics would argue is schizophrenia (Wilson), the quality of sympathetic futility in general, or the capitalist society in which Melvilles characters lives play o ut.In order to understand Bartlebys influence on the hopeless ambience of the story, we must first understand the character of Bartleby and how he differs greatly from the others. Bartleby is described as having a cadaverously gentlemanly nonchalance (1096) and being solitary, friendless and lonely comparable a very ghost (1095). Mitchell, in his critical essay, also observes that Bartleby seems incapable of recognizing the possibility of hope. (Mitchell) Finally, Bartleby is apathetic and whenever something is requested of him he simply replies I would prefer not to. The lawyer, on the other hand is intensely focused on the values of Wall Street such as money, productivity and usefulness. Bartleby proves a great thwarting to the lawye... ...y not know the cause of Bartlebys suffering, but he does know that Bartlebys despair can lead only to death (Mitchell). Works CitedInge, M doubting Thomas. Bartleby the Inscrutable A Collection of Commentary on Herman Melvilles Tale Bartleb y the Scrivener. Hamden, Connecticut Archon Books, 1979. Print.Wilson, James C. Bartleby The Walls of Wall Street. Arizona Quarterly 37.4 (Winter 1981) 335-346. Literature Resource Center. Web. 13 April 2015. Mitchell, Thomas R. Dead Letter and Dead Men Narrative Purpose in Bartleby, the Scrivener.. Studies in Short Fiction. 27.3 (Summer 1990) 329-338. Literature Resource Center. Web. 13 April 2015.Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew. Doing Justice to Bartleby ATQ A ledger of American Nineteenth Century Literature and Culture n.s. 17.1 (March 2003) 23-42. Literature Resource Center. Web. 13 April 2015.