A review by kurtwombat
Bartleby, The Scrivener A Story of Wall-Street by Herman Melville

dark funny sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 
Bartleby is the blank canvas for all of our despair. 
 
This brilliant story blends absurdist and existential elements almost 100 years before Camus & Kafka strode the page. Not surprised this story came from Melville—his Moby Dick is one of my favorite books. Both the book and this story express an enveloping darkness. Both have lots of funny moments  but they diminish as the light to nourish them is choked out. Both have a title character that seem to be blank canvases. They exist only for the reader or other characters to project elements of themselves upon that canvas. The main character of each is actually the narrator. In Moby Dick, he famously declares his name. Since the name is biblical, an archer standing in for a  harpooner, in a book heavy with religious themes it may not be a real name. In Bartleby, the main character remains unnamed allowing him to stand in for many of his type. In both the story and the book, the business world chugs along uncaring of the fates of those involved. 
 
Particularly in Bartleby, The Scrivener—Melville focuses upon the inability of those involved in business to deal with the human element. To quote THE SIMPSONS, “We’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas.” The lawyer tries to help Bartleby, but his narration makes it clear he is only simulating what he thinks is a human interaction. His only real concern is, with false modesty,  growing his law practice. Bartleby could be seen as the human part of ourself that withers away as less humane pursuits become our focus. 
 
Bartleby is the blank canvas for all of our despair—and he pays for it.