Isolation and Society in Bartleby, the Scrivener
Herman Melville's Bartleby is a tale of isolation and alienation. In his story, society
is primarily to blame for the creation and demise of Bartleby.
Throughout the story, the characters -- Bartleby in particular -- are isolated from
each other or from society. The forester's office, which can be interpreted as a microcosm
of society, was teeming with walls to separate the head ranger from his employees and to
separate the employees from one another. There was one large crushed-glass wall which
separated the lawyer from his sycophants (although he was still able to see their shadows
due to the nature of crushed glass). The other workers put up a folding green screen to
hide Bartleby because of his hideous appearance, who was also alienated from the rest of
the workers. The Ranger and his employees were also isolated from the outside world;
their window faced a wall of trees ten feet away, with a sewer-like chasm ...
After reading about these men first, as a reader, I come to realize more of what type of person Bartleby is. He does not have many characteristics as his fellow companions. He is quiet and his famous “I would prefer not to” decisions make one question is way of thinking. In many ways, Bartleby does what
Bartleby demonstrates behaviours indicative of depression, the symptoms he has in accordance with the DSM-IV are a loss of interest in activities accompanied by a change in appetite, sleep, and feelings of guilt (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, 320). Very shortly after Bartleby begins his work as a Scrivener he is described by the narrator as having done “nothing but stand at his window in his dead-wall revery”. (Melville, 126) In contrast, Bartleby had previously been described as a very hard worker and this process of doing increasingly less shows how his a diminishing sense of interest both in his work but also of the perception others have of him. It is also noted that included in this lack of interest is a social withdrawal (DSM—IV, 321) which corresponds well to Bartleby in that his workspace becomes known as his “hermitage”. During small talk which included Bartleby he says that he “would prefer to be left alone”. (Melville, 120) Bartleby only emerges from his hermitage when called upon and quickly returns when faced with confrontation.
In order to fully understand the impact that Quebec nationalism has had on Canadian politics, it is important to first understand the roots of Quebec nationalism. Quebec was founded in 1608, originally called New France, by the French (McRoberts 1991, 412). However in 1759 New France came under power of the British (McRoberts 1991, 412). British rule did not lead to assimilation therefore the Francophone language and culture was preserved despite the initial intention of British authorities that it should. (McRoberts 1991, 413). In 1837, Quebec was merged with the predominately English-speaking colony of Britain, Upper Canada (McRoberts 1991, 413). Together Quebec and the English-speaking colony created Lower and Upper Canada, respectively...
Since British Settlers took control of Canada from the French, the needs of the remaining French Canadians, or Quebecois, have consequently been overlooked. Several events in Canadian History have resulted in heated feelings between French and English Canadians. Although the majority of English Canadians have tried to reconcile with the French by making numerous attempts to mend the relationship, questions relating to the needs of French Canadians still exists today. Various key sources indefinitely establish that the that the needs of French Canadians were not met, which will be proven through an in depth analysis of Quebecois Nationalism, Heritage Problems in Quebec, as well as impending acts of terrorism in Quebec.
In general, Quebec is overwhelmingly French speaking, while the rest of Canada is overwhelmingly English speaking. Language has remained one of the key symbols of Quebecois nationalism and has been central in the arguments for the protection of a minority culture in Quebec. French Canadians were, and still are overwhelmingly Catholic, while English Canadians tend to be Protestant (Fitzmaurice, 1985). The cause of linguistic segmentation in Canada goes back to the British conquest in Quebec in 1759. The primary institution that has defined the character of French Canadian nationalism in Quebec from the mid 19th to the 20th century is the Roman Catholic Church (Fenwick, 1981). It was the Church that essentially articulated the values and dominated the culture of French Canada and it was the Church that helped provide the elite, which mediated relations between French Canadians and the
He starts to disconnect himself by refusing to do work given to him by his boss, this comes from his desire to be complacent, which we find out when he says “I like to be stationary,” when talking to the lawyer (127). Bartleby continues to change throughout the story, as he goes from being an employee who won’t do his work, to never leaving the office and essentially making it his home. According to Todd Giles, “Bartleby's silence establishes distance,” meaning that he becomes so out of place that people stop expecting of him (Giles, 2007). What this causes is the need for Bartleby to be removed from the Wall Street Office. The lawyer tries in many different ways to do so, and even offers him more money than he is owed if he will quit. Bartleby refuses and continues to stay in the building, doing nothing, detached from the world around him. Eventually the lawyer changes offices due to Bartleby and leaves him there for the next buyer. Bartleby is forced out by the new owner, and in time it is told the police he is a vagrant and he is thrown into jail. Bartleby’s story ends
Isolation is when you choose to stay away from others or the others have separated you from them. In this case, the book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck is a story about 2 friends, George and Lennie who are searching for jobs and always dreamt about owning a farm. George and Lennie don’t represent isolation because they are wonderful friends who can depend on each other, but a minor character named Curley can be seen as lonely because he has some difficulties in connecting with each other on the ranch. Curley’s aggressiveness is the cause for his isolation because he threatens people Lennie and loves to get into fights.
Curley's wife, introduced in chapter two as a "tart", is the only female on the ranch. Therefore, she receives plenty of attention from the migrant workers, but, ironically, Curley's wife also faces much isolation for being the only female. Because of this, she tries to attract attention and talk to the men to counteract her loneliness. An example of this, is when she comes to the bunkhouse "trying to find Curley". When Lennie is first introduced to Curley's wife, he sees that she is pretty, and stares at her, which satisfies her longing for attention: "Lennie's eyes moved down over her body, and though she did not seem to be looking at Lennie she bridled a little" (31). Because she knows Lennie is interested in her, while many of the other
We have the entrance of the motionless young man, Bartleby. Bartleby appeals to the lawyer in part, because unlike the other guys in the office, he is not going to make any trouble. In fact, the lawyer has this fantasy that he is going to bring Bartleby into the office and maybe Bartleby’s calmness and placidity will spread to the obstreperous other two, Turkey and Nippers. Several times the story said that the lawyer is disarmed by him when he does those outrageous “I would prefer not to,” he thinks to respond with, “But there was something about Bartleby that not only strangely disarmed me, but in a wonderful manner touched and disconcerted me. I began to reason with him.” (Melville, 9) There are times when the lawyer responds to this in
For most people, prolonged social isolation negatively affects their health. Psychological experiments on the effects of isolation have been conducted by multiple universities and scientists, all of which have come to the same conclusion; isolation is physically and mentally detrimental. Some of these experiments had to be called off due to the extreme and bizarre reactions of those involved. The experiences of people held in solitary confinement—the despair, the disorientation, the hallucinations—are well documented. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck implies that when people live in solitude, they become desperate for companionship. Human nature can be better understood by this theme and is developed through the thoughts and feelings of the
Also bartleby makes countless mistakes by not obeying his boss not doing his job. He repeatedly replies “I would prefer not to” which angers the layer. Bartley also refuses to leave the office after the layer has moved out this is another mistake that leads to his imprisonment. In prison he makes the clear mistake of starving himself. He also allows himself to be cut off by all human contact. Bartleby must have had a significant past that led him to the conclusion of death. He also allows himself to be tormented by the other
Who is the lawyer you may ask? What kind of person is the lawyer throughout the story? The lawyer doesn’t mention anything about himself except the fact of his job and age. He doesn’t even give his name nor the name of anyone in the story. Through the words that he speaks, the lawyer is a person who like to have structure. The enactment of dealing with people on a personal base is to much of a confrontation for lawyer. Through the ordeal of his interaction with each of his scriveners we learn that the lawyer plays it safe.
At times, it seems that he doesn’t have respect for society and voluntarily withdraws himself into isolation because he feels that he is more intelligent than everyone else. However, at times it seems that he lives by himself simply because no one likes him, and because he is rude and cruel to others. In the end, it is probably a bit of both: having been rejected by many people, the underground man scorns them and withdraws, but this withdrawal makes others dislike him even more, so that he withdraws even more. This cyclical pattern results in his near-complete isolation from society. The underground man has an inconclusive attitude toward society: on the one hand, he despises it, but on the other hand he envies those who can function in mainstream
First, employment is operating within some families as a resource, especially among the poor and working classes who are trying to sustain households with children present. If paid workers are underpaid, then being employed is not much different than being unemployed. Second, employment serves as a sense of identification in those families who pursue certain types of jobs in their efforts to propel the FoO into a higher social class position. These families pursue a clear path from higher education to certain professions. For them, paid work is not the end goal. Social status and occupational prestige are the goals. Third, paid work is a signal for those seeking to determine “who is in the family.” When family members disagree about the value of paid work and work pursuits turn into unstable work histories, the employment (or unemployment) of significant others proves just as problematic as one’s own employment status. Importantly, we do not argue that these are mutually exclusive experiences or that they are necessarily overlapping in any consistent way. Whether individuals participate in the labor force for the income it provides, the status it promises, or the signal it conveys depends upon parental socialization that took place during childhood and the level of work volition operating at that particular time in the individual life course. Work volition refers to the ability to choose one’s occupation. Workers with low levels of education typically have low volition as does those compelled to work through governmental regulations (e.g., PRWORA,
Theme of Alienation in Literature A common theme among the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne is alienation. Alienation is defined as emotional isolation or dissociation from others. In Hawthorne's novels and short stories, characters are consistently alienated and experience isolation from society. These characters are separated from their loved ones both physically and psychologically. The harsh judgmental conditions of Puritan society are the cause of isolation for these characters and eventually lead to their damnation.