But still, Bartleby is a mystery left unsolved. We have to wonder what kind of effect these "dead" letters must have had on his psyche. As a rather odd end note, the narrator informs us that Bartleby previously worked as a clerk in an obscure branch of the Post Office known as the Dead Letter Office, sorting through undeliverable mail. Eventually, Bartleby wastes away and starves to death, leaving only the Narrator to mourn him. The Narrator goes to visit Bartleby, but unsurprisingly, he can't get through to the strange scrivener. He prefers not to do anything there, either, and even prefers not to eat. The story concludes with Bartleby in prison. ![]() At the end of their rope, the new occupants have the police arrest Bartleby. The new occupants complain to the Narrator, but he tells them the truth – Bartleby isn't his responsibility. Enter Bartleby, a quiet, initially efficient, anti-social little man. Another practice moves into the building, only to discover that Bartleby is still a fixture there. By Herman Melville Previous Next Bartleby the Scrivener Summary This story, in its most basic, stripped-down form, is a simple one: a successful lawyer, in need of assistance, hires a new scrivener (a kind of human Xerox machine) to join his small firm. Rather than take any more drastic measures to get Bartleby out of his office, the lawyer actually picks up and moves his practice elsewhere. Finally, he is firmly asked to leave…but he just doesn't. Eventually, this refusal grows more bizarre, when Bartleby announces that he will no longer work as a copyist – but prefers simply to stay in the office and not do any work. Bartleby is always in the office, either working or staring out the window at a facing wall, and it turns out that he actually lives in the office. The lawyer and his other employees are shocked, but Bartleby just won't do what they ask. He is the first at work in the mornings and the last to leave at nights. He works long hours at a frenetic pace not taking breaks. Ah, Bartleby Ah, Humanity in the very last sentence of Bartleby the Scrivener means that the lawyer is lamenting the sheer absurdity of the scriveners existence. ![]() When Bartleby is first hired, he is a great addition to the business because he produces an extraordinary quantity of work. Bartleby proceeds to work well as a copyist, but refuses to help out with any other office tasks – or rather, he simply "prefers" not to. Business is booming so the lawyer hires a third scrivener named Bartleby. This story, in its most basic, stripped-down form, is a simple one: a successful lawyer, in need of assistance, hires a new scrivener (a kind of human Xerox machine) to join his small firm.
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