Bartleby the Scrivener

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Recommended: Character analysis of the narrator in Bartleby the Scrivener

The story begins with an elderly lawyer, whose business picks up to the point where he needs to hire a third scrivener. Nippers and Turkey, his current scriveners, are overworked and have serious health issues; Nippers suffers from stomach problems, and Turkey is an alcoholic. Enter Bartleby, the dreary, desolate, “forlorn-looking” applicant. For whatever reason, the lawyer hires Bartleby. In the beginning Bartleby’s production and work are excellent, but begin to seriously deteriorate throughout the story, after being asked to perform different tasks. Bartleby’s work performance gradually deteriorates until he is performing no work at all. The lawyer relinquishes any responsibility for Bartleby, his work, or his well being, until the time of his passing. Upon learning of Bartleby’s passing, the lawyer re-examines the world through Bartleby’s eyes, and gains an understanding of his misery and suffering.
The Lawyer
The lawyer, as successful of a businessman that he is, shows signs of an avoidant personality disorder in the very beginning of the story. He severely dislikes confrontation, possibly because it either gives him anxiety, or he is hypersensitive to negative situations; some would call individuals with this disorder “people pleasers”. Whether or not the lawyer has a true clinical problem, he definitely appears to be a people pleaser. As a manager, you cannot be a people pleaser and an excellent manager of work at the same time. The lawyer couldn’t manage Nippers and Turkey’s short-comings, because he couldn’t be bothered to replace them. I think that was an excuse, and believe the lawyer was too timid to confront Nippers and Turkey face to face; allowing them to remain poor employees.
With two sub-par employ...

... middle of paper ...

...uldn’t have happened; for he would have eliminated Bartleby as a candidate upon contacting personal and professional references, and obtaining knowledge of his prior employment.
Conclusion
The story is open to many interpretations of Bartleby, the lawyer, and the incidents that happen throughout the plot; I analyzed and interpreted the story from a management point of view. Based on one’s work and life experience, one could interpret the story as a tale of misfortune, with emphasis on empathy towards the lawyer; because he had to deal with a difficult and puzzling employee. Someone who may have experienced mental disorders personally, or in a family environment, may empathize with Bartleby. Regardless of how you interpreted the story, it truly is a great tragedy in the end, and a tragedy I believe could have be averted through proper leadership and management.

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