Bartleby the Scrivener is a short story written by Herman Melville in 1853 In the narrative, Melville tells the story of a man named Bartleby, an employee of a fictional law office in Manhattan. The story follows Bartleby as he begins his job as a scrivener, which is basically a copyist who works in a law office copying legal documents. His behavior soon grows to be quite peculiar. He is described as being a passive and silent figure who refuses to do any work, even rejecting the orders of his employer.
At first, the narrator only pays mild attention to this strange behavior, but soon it becomes too much for him to ignore, and he is forced to confront Bartleby to determine what is going on. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Bartleby is struggling with an inner torment of his own, refusing to work and eventually deciding to “prefer not to” do anything at all. Ultimately, the narrator is left with no choice but to leave Bartleby alone, allowing him to stay in the office until he decides to leave of his own accord.
Bartleby the Scrivener is a classic story of isolation and alienation, and has been noted as an important work in American literature. As such, it is a great topic for essays and can provide a lot of interesting topics to write about. Here are five examples of essay topics related to Bartleby the Scrivener:
1. Analyze the character of Bartleby in the narrative and discuss how his behavior reflects the idea of alienation or rebellion against society.
2. Examine the themes of death and despair that run throughout the story, and how these add to the overall mood and tone of the narrative.
3. Compare and contrast Bartleby’s actions as a scrivener to other “victims” throughout literature, such as the protagonist in Kafka’s The Castle.
4. Investigate how the narrator reacts to Bartleby’s behavior and discuss how his responses can be seen as a reflection of his own character.
5. Analyze the way Melville uses imagery and figures of speech throughout the narrative and discuss how they help to create the atmosphere of alienation and isolation.