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