Bartleby the scrivener summary Interesting Essay Topic Ideas

A Summary of Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener"

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465 words
2 pages

A Summary of Herman Melville's Book "Bartleby"

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457 words
1 pages

A Comparison of Emerson's and Melville's Works

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1145 words
2 pages

Bartleby the Scrivener is a short story written by Herman Melville in 1853 It tells the story of an unnamed lawyer and his employees, one of whom is a mysterious scrivener named Bartleby. The lawyer, who narrates the story, hires Bartleby to aid in his copying business but soon realizes that he has become something of an enigma. Despite being a model worker, Bartleby becomes increasingly detached, eventually refusing to do any work at all and staying in the office even after being dismissed. He then takes up permanent residence in the office, with the lawyer allowing him to remain out of a sense of pity. The story has become a classic of American literature and has been widely discussed, analyzed, and interpreted by numerous academics and authors. Many see it as a commentary on dehumanizing labor practices and the cruelty of the capitalist system. Others have suggested that it is an allegory for the struggle of the individual against the stifling systems of modern society, or a parable of the human condition. It has also been interpreted as a religious allegory, with Bartleby symbolizing humanity's rebellious refusal to accept God's will. These interpretations and resulting discussion have led to a variety of interesting essay topics, some of which are listed below. 1. Examine the structure and symbolism of Bartleby the Scrivener and analyze how they contribute to its meaning. 2. Analyze the themes of isolation and dehumanization in Bartleby and discuss how they relate to the story's larger messages. 3. Explore the relationship between the narrator and Bartleby and discuss how it contributes to the themes of the story. 4. Analyze the characters in Bartleby and discuss how Melville uses them to explore the story's themes. 5. Compare and contrast Bartleby with other works of literature, such as Kafka's "The Metamorphosis," to discuss how the story reflects its own era.