Almost one hundred and fifty years since it was first published, Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener"" remains one of the most elusive short stories in all of American literature. ... This is the question that plagues the story's narrator, and it has plagued the readers of "Bartleby the Scrivener,"" as well. ... Let us briefly examine one of the most influential interpretations of "Bartleby the Scrivener."" ... In "Bartleby the Scrivener,"" Melville explores similar philosophical issues in a different kind of setting. ... He begins by trying to discover something about Bartleb...

• Word Count: 2093
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Could Bartleby have been that unusual that something in his being, some distant echo in the scrivener's sole, was too much for his employer to bear? ... The original scriveners and office boy had served finite purposes in Melville's society. ... When the narrator tried to befriend him, the scrivener simply refused conversation. ... He had presented a reasonable severance package, nearly tripling what he owed Bartleby, but the scrivener simply did not care. ... Bartleby created a vein of controversy that broadened the gap between the narrator and his other scriveners. ...

• Word Count: 1306
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography