Blog Assignment #3- Bartleby

    Melville tells this story through the eyes of the employer rather than from Bartleby's perspective, he does this on purpose so that we can actually learn more about the manager and gather our own thoughts in our head about the person that the story is being told about (Bartleby).  The more conversations I saw unfold between Bartleby and the employer, the more I wondered about Bartleby's peculiar attitude.  It allows the reader to think further into the story, and read between the lines.  It makes you wonder what was going on in Bartleby's head.  This is very similar to what William Faulkner does in "A Rose for Emily" when the story isn't actually told by Emily herself, but by the town.
  The manager handled the situation with his employee in very strange ways, he had an unusual amount of patience with Bartleby and tolerated much more then a manager normally would, as seen in the text.  "Every copyist is bound to help examine his copy.  Is it not so? Will you not speak? Answer!" (Melville 11) "I prefer not to" (Melville 11).  "Will you tell me, Bartleby, where you were born?"  (Melville 19)"I would prefer not to" (Melville 19) "Will you tell me anything about yourself?" (Melville 19) "I would prefer not to" (Melville 19).  He also proves once again that he can't handle the situation when he  consults with his employees on what to do in the situation.  He ends up ASKING Bartleby if he can quit, and when he 'prefers not to', the manager bizzarely leaves himself! The manager also shows signs of immaturity when he gives his employees childish name nicknames like 'Turkey' and 'Nippers'.
     The dialogue and employers descriptions begin to give you an idea of Bartleby, he was clearly a very miserable individual.  He expressed no desire to get anything done in life, or associate with anyone seemed extremely depressed.  This is later confirmed when Bartleby dies from starving himself in jail and the employer goes on to find out that Bartleby was a great clerk at an office in the past, and he was suddenly fired unexpectidly due to a change in administration.  This was my aha moment! It makes the reader understand exactly why Bartleby acted the way he did and feel really bad for him.  By this point in the story, the narrator has definitly had an experience with this person that would go on to change him for the rest of his life.  Through Bartleby, the narrator has been able to view the world and humanity the same miserable way Bartleby had and get a little taste of Bartleby's bitter life.