Who Is The Narrator Of Bartleby The Scrivener

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Bartleby the Scrivener sounds like a story about a copier and albeit in some cases the title of a story can be called a preview about its main character--in this case that way of reasoning would be wrong. Comparatively the story is formed by the lawyer who both narrates and employs Bartleby at his law office. While Bartleby is mentioned and discussed the main points of the story are about the narrator's view of Bartleby, his own thoughts and emotions, and his strange relationship with Bartleby. Even though some information is given about Bartleby such as his appearance and his strange replies, the most amount of detail is shared by the narrator and is most known about him as well. Although the short story is titled after the character of Bartleby the Scrivener, the real central figure is the unnamed lawyer who narrates. …show more content…

For the first few paragraphs of the short story Bartleby is not even really mentioned. All the narrator offers about him is that the he is pretty sure no one has ever written or read about him before. After introducing us to the rest of his clerks, and telling us a bit about his life as a lawyer, do we finally meet Bartleby. Yet even as we meet Bartleby on the superficial level, we never truly know him. In contrast, we learn great details and obvious signs of character from the narrator about himself. Why anyone who reads about Bartleby can tell you in great detail about the narrator and in truth the other clerks in his office, it is Bartleby we know the least

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