1. Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville
It may be useful to compare Bartleby the symbol to another highly ambiguous creation of Melville's imagination "Moby Dick. ... In the novel Moby Dick, each of Melville's characters interprets the white whale differently, and its ultimate meaning seems both awesome and unknowable. ... It is significant that Ahab compares Moby Dick to a wall. ... Like Moby Dick, Bartleby himself is also a kind of wall. ... Bartleby, in fact, assumes the same symbolic function as Moby Dick, and the drama unfolds in the narration of the lawyer, who tries to comprehend him. ...
- Word Count: 2093
- Approx Pages: 8
- Has Bibliography
- Grade Level: Undergraduate