In Melville's story " The Paradise of Bachelors, The Taratus of Maids- he writes about a time when industrialization was prevalent in the United States. The country seemed to sprout new factories and mills on every corner, but it was not met without opposition. Some people believed that the new technology would lead to the destruction of civilization, as they believed it did with Europe. Europe had been plagued with poverty and pollution, both thought to be the effect of this new industry. In his work, Melville attempts to show one of the negative effects of industrialization, mainly the relationship between the owners, the bachelors, and the workers, the maids. Melville shows this relationship by splitting the story into two tales.
In the first part of the tale called "The Paradise of Bachelors-, he demonstrates the contradictory and spoiled life of the owner. This privileged class is characterized in the form of bachelors. They are not aware of the struggle in world around them, only of themselves. They consume obnoxious amounts of food such as ox-tail soup, turbot, roast beef, mutton, turkey, chicken pie, cheese and crackers, and alcohol. They talk of everything and nothing, as if their only concerns were their own needs. As one critic states, "they are gluttonous consumers and yet live out an empty existence. This is ultimately the goal most people strive for, this so called paradise. To not have to labor in the factories and to be removed from the harsh realities of life seems ideal to most. But the narrator soon finds out that the life they lead should not be glorified.
The setting of the story "The Taratus of Maids-, takes place in a small mill town in Massachusetts. He describes how the serene, peaceful landscape was beautifully decorated, including dormitories for the women. From the outside, one might think it was a college or university campus. But this was just a fazade concealing the oppression that took place there.