#BARTLEBY THE SCRIVENER THEME SERIES#

Bartleby’s death was of no shock as he would not eat while in prison and one cannot live without eating. He had nothing to live for as he did have the motivation to do anything. When the employer went to go see Bartleby, he saw him, “strangely huddled at the base of the wall, his knees drawn up, and lying on his side, his head touching the cold stones…” (245). Bartleby went to prison but the employer still cared about Bartleby so he occasionally went to go check on him. This forced the employer to have Bartleby arrested. When the employer told Bartleby to leave the office, Bartleby would politely decline the order. Bartleby’s actions would compare to those of a deadman simply because he did not do anything he was supposed to. The choices that Bartleby made ultimately led him to his death at the end of the story. Bartleby’s choices not only affected his livelihood, but everybody around Bartleby became infected with the musk of his poor choices. Bartleby told the employer that he would “prefer not to.” Since Bartleby would not leave, the employer decided to move the location of the office. The employer told “Bartleby that in six days’ time he must unconditionally leave the office.” (136). The objections began to become out of control and the employer decided to let Bartleby go. This was the first objection of work and Bartleby continued to do this time and time again. Bartleby stated “‘I would prefer not to.’” (21). (This story was written in the first person, making ‘me,’ the employer). The first time Bartleby “preferred not” to was “when he was called to to examine a small paper with me.”(21). The way Bartleby lost his job was through his choice to “prefer not to.” He would get asked by the employer to do a task, and would politely refuse.

#BARTLEBY THE SCRIVENER THEME SERIES#

This choice of acquiring the job as a scrivener was the start of series of negative choices made by Bartleby. He was a great worker with a strong work ethic, but all that changed as time went on. As if long famishing for something to copy, he seemed to gorge himself on my documents.” (18). In the beginning of Bartleby’s time as a scrivener, he, “did an extraordinary quantity of writing. This proved to be the wrong choice by the employer, again going back to the theme of choices. When Bartleby first entered the building, the employer of the office was delighted to have an extra man on the job as believed Bartleby, “might operate beneficially upon the flighty temper of Turkey, and the fiery one of Nippers.” (16). In most other cases, this would be the right choice, but in Bartleby’s case, this choice proved to bring fatal repercussions. One choice that Bartleby made was to get a job.

Bartleby the scrivener theme