Examples Of Individualism In Bartleby The Scrivener

During the early 19th century, also referred to as the Romantic period, many writers, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville, used the elements of Romanticism to develop nonconformity in the characters and tended to diverge from conformity and focus more on spontaneous thinking and beliefs. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne displays various Romantic elements to hyperbolize the protagonist, Hester Prynne’s, experience when she was apart from society. In the short story “Bartleby the Scrivener”, Melville shows Bartleby’s peculiarity and persistence as a scrivener and due to his strange background, it brings up mixed feelings between him and the people around him. The novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Bartleby the Scrivener”

by Herman Melville reveal the value on individualism present in the experiences of the protagonists to portray that the negative consequences that those who do not conform with society also bring about personal growth and fulfillment.
The Scarlet Letter illustrates that the result of not conforming can bring about positive results through the value on individualism. The value of individualism is characterized by how the individual is directed by.

Due to committing adultery, Hester Prynne is rejected from society. She wears the scarlet letter “A” to constantly remind her of the sin and crime she has committed. Hester’s individualism helps her stand out from the crowd, even though she is looked down upon by others around her. Hester disregards the society’s opinion about her and continues to help out the community. Eventually, the society oversees Hester’s sin, and the significance of the “A” changes due to her magnanimity and helpfulness. The society viewed her helpfulness so powerful that “many people refuse to interpret the scarlet “A” by its original signification. They said it meant “Able”, so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 148). Because of her generosity in society, the “original signification” was forgotten, and soon the letter “became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, yet with reverence, too” (Hawthorne 238 - 239). Hester wears the letter because it is an important part of herself and identity. Due to her strength and persistence of wearing the letter, it changes

the symbolic meaning of the letter to others. Instead of representing sin or solitude, the letter eventually represents overcoming adversity as well as gaining knowledge. The letter is meant to remind Hester of her crime and represent her sin, but it ultimately it loses its significance. At the end, the Native Americans at the Election Day ceremony see Hester as an important figure in society. The community, instead of reacting to the letter with disgust, respond with “sorrow…awe…and reverence”. Hester is no longer looked down as a sinner; instead she represents strength and influence. Hester’s individualism helps her overcome society’s discontent, and ultimately, evolves into something that the community reveres and looks up to. When Hester and Dimmesdale think of escaping to Europe, Dimmesdale was hesitant about the idea, but Hester Prynne, “with a mind of courage…wandered without rule or guidance…The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers…and they had made her strong, but taught her [as well]” (Hawthorne 182-183). This quote denotes that Hester’s sin ostracizes her from society, but it also changes her character as well as her view of the world. “Shame, despair, [and] solitude” change Hester’s character and her way of thinking. She is represented as a courageous woman due to the freedom she is entitled to by “[wandering] without rule or guidance”. Hester compares the letter to a passport because it gives her the liberation to go wherever she wants due to the fact that society has already isolated her from them. As Hester uses her punishment to aid her to become more strong, the value on individualism comes into play. Unlike many others who will quitter away from their shame, Hester embraces her it and eventually learns from it. Therefore, the letter results in individuality in Hester, and lets her become more audacious and influential in the eyes of society.
Even though Hester Prynne’s experience shows that the results of not conforming to society can bring about personal growth in the strict Puritan society, in the story “Bartleby the Scrivener”, Bartleby typifies this idea in an office.

Due to Bartleby’s personality, motives, and thoughts not being comprehensible, he is shown as a very puzzling character. Bartleby refuses to do anything in the office; instead, he just sits “in his hermitage, oblivious to everything but his own peculiar business there” (Melville, 50). The room in which Bartleby works has “a wall, and light came down from far above, between two lofty buildings, as from a very small opening in a dome…a high green folding screen, which entirely [isolates] Bartleby from [his] sight…[and] privacy and society were conjoined” (Melville 17). Bartleby’s view mainly consists of different “walls” that separate him from others around him and due to that the wall that is outside the window panes and “the high green folding screen” depicts the imaginary walls that Bartleby creates to isolate himself from society. Bartleby loses interest in the events that happen in the world around him and only prefers to do what he wants to do. Bartleby, similarly to Hester Prynne, is isolated from society, however, he chooses to isolate himself, whereas Hester is actually shunned due to her sin. In the start, Bartley by is very diligent and listens to whatever the lawyer tells him to do and copies everything accurately and quickly, but

on the third day, when Bartleby is asked to examine one of his papers, Bartleby declines the command with his infamous quote, “I would prefer not to” (Melville 21). Throughout the story, Bartleby always responds with the same phrase angering the Narrator. After being repeating several times, these words become very strong and soon arouse the curiosity of Bartleby’s as well as his background. “I would prefer not to” portrays the individuality of Bartleby since he does not “prefer” to conform to the rules of society, and in this case, what the Narrator wants him to do. On the first day that Bartleby arrives at the office, the narrator describes him as “motion less…neat, pitiably respectable, incurably forlorn!” (Melville 15). This shows that Bartleby is depicted as a feeble and unhappy person. On the other hand, Hester is portrayed as a very strong, beautiful woman at the start, but as she wears the letter on her bosom, her beauty is drenched out of her, as she turns pale and wears gloomy colors. The words “pitiably” and “incurably” give a negative connotation to the outward appearance of Bartleby by displaying a hopeless and sad form; however, Bartleby never expresses or shows any emotion in the story as he remains apathetic. Even though he is thought to be weak, his persistent and commonly repeated reply, “I would prefer not to” shows that he is very strong mentally. Due to this mentality and curiosity surrounding Bartleby, the Narrator gets frustrated, but also pities him, arousing curiosity to investigate his life. After some investigating, the narrator finds that Bartleby was fired from a Dead Letter Office, surprising the Narrator. The Narrator exclaims, “Dead letters! Does it not sound like dead men? Conceive a man by nature and misfortune prone to a pallid hopelessness, can any business seem more fitted to heighten it…” (Melville 250). Working at the Dead Letter Office solves the mystery surrounding Bartleby’s solitude and puzzling behavior. Bartleby reading the letters shows how he is depressed, leaving him apathetic towards society. Bartleby’s unconventional actions, and his individuality to not conform to society’s rules set himself apart from other people, but his stubbornness fortifies his mental strength.
Taking a look at the evidence presented in The Scarlet Letter and “Bartleby the Scrivener”, people who do not necessarily conform society such as Hester Prynne and Bartleby face rejection from society, but also bring about positive results, such as personal growth and fulfillment. Hester Prynne is looked down upon in society, but she learns from her sin, making her a stronger and more compelling woman who views a world from different perspectives. On the other hand, Bartleby isolates himself from the society, causing him to stand out from the people around him. Even though he is depicted as a weak, mundane character, his indestructible mental strength has no bounds, due to his persistence and stubbornness. Through the experiences that Hester and Bartleby face as nonconformists, it can be seen that these experiences do not necessarily result negatively. Being able to go against societal norms can help one find individuality, and will also result in looking at things in a different perspective.