1

Michaela Pacheco

Professor Rendon

ENGL 1120

23 April 2021

A Man Dedicated to Wall Street or A Misunderstood Character?

Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story Of Wall-street by Herman Melville is a story written

from the perspective of an older man who runs a law-firm. He hires an employee named Bartleby

who does his work diligently at the beginning, but eventually he completely stops doing his work

and starts to refuse any commands and requests that are asked of him. Although the Narrator

deals with Bartleby and his insolence in the end, his actions throughout the story are

questionable. On one hand, the Narrator could be seen as a man in a situation where he is trying

to save another man who is doomed. On the other hand, he could be seen as someone who is so

devoted to their work that they neglect to see what is right in front of them. Opinions of the

Narrator vary, however after reading the story again, he is the type of person who is so devoted

to his job that he neglects his own employees and does not consider the mental state of Bartleby.

There is no doubt he is a hard worker, but he neglects his employee and the obvious distress he

seems to be under. The Narrator showcases what it is like to be in the trenches of Wall Street and

corporate America.

This viewpoint not only reflects what mental illness looks like in the workplace, but it

also shows the importance of speaking up when something is wrong. The Narrator is aware

something is wrong with his employee, yet chooses to stay silent and complacent until he cannot

handle it anymore. He even takes some of Barlteby’s work instead of outright handling the
 2

situation. After a second read, these viewpoints will stick out and the importance of loving your

neighbor as your own will be understood.

Although the Narrator notices something is off with his employee, he chooses to do

nothing for much of the story. Not only that, he allows for Bartleby to continue his behavior to

the point where he has no other choice but to call the police on Bartleby. Bartleby clearly has a

change in actions and in the work he used to do, and it goes to show that the Narrator didn’t put

aside his pride and either help or do something about the Bartleby situation right away. For

example, “ I pondered a moment in sore perplexity. But once more business hurried me. I

determined again to postpone the consideration of this dilemma to my future leisure. With a little

trouble we made out to examine the papers without Bartleby”(Melville 9). During one of the first

times that Bartleby refuses to do his work, The Narrator turns to the other employees for advice.

They advise him to fire Bartleby. The Narrator pushed away a glaring problem in his office in

order to focus on his work and business.

He even goes so far as to put the toll of work onto his other employees and pushing the

situation to the back burner. The Narrator is a depiction of the constant “hustle culture” in the

United States and how important things can be overlooked when people have a constant focus

only on work. The Narrator represents someone so focused on his work and business that he

doesn’t help out his struggling employee. Even his other employees question his actions, which

makes sense due to the odd route he takes as to handling them. It is unfair not only to Bartleby,

but to the other employees as well.

Another example of The Narrator not caring for others is when he completely ignores the

signs that Bartleby is suffering mentally and physically from overwork. Bartleby is experiencing

burnout, and is depressed by it. Burnout, stress, and signs of mental illness such as depression
 3

aren’t new in the workplace, in fact it is very normal. For instance, “Reduced functioning can

take many forms, including poor cognitive performance, problem behavior directed towards

other colleagues, lack of attention to the core tasks of the job”(Race & Furnham 6). Bartleby

checks out on many of these symptoms, including poor cognitive performance and lack of

attention to the core tasks of the job. The sudden shift from being almost too hard working to

outright refusing to do work is not a typical action that The Narrator has seen before. It doesn’t

mean that this shift isn’t serious, as none of Bartleby’s coworkers act in this manner. His

symptoms and behaviors are put off and treated as though they'll be dealt with at a later date.

Perhaps Bartleby wants someone to notice his struggles since he never relents on saying no to all

questions and commands that come his way. While his coworkers question his actions but take

no action, The Narrator isn’t even aware that this is happening. The minute that Bartleby acted

different no action was taken, and this negatively impacted everyone involved. Bartleby

represents a lonely man who has completely shut down and just wants someone to reach out.

Unfortunately this does not happen towards the end. Instead of getting him help, they treat him

as though he is an uncooperating burden.

The final example of the Narrator not caring for his neighbor as his own is because he

doesn’t understand why his actions are harmful. The Narrator acts as though he is only putting

the company first, even though best thing for the company and the employees would be to help

Bartleby and hire another person to help take the workload off. Often having that mindset

creates a bad work environment for everyone involved. For example, “ Overemphasis on what is

good for the company's bottom line may create a masochistic environment that leads to short-

term success, but long-term chronic disease in terms of worker stress, ill health, lack of

commitment, disloyalty, and poor performance”(Couser). The success of the company and its
 4

employees is jeopardized by Bartleby’s and The Narrator’s actions. At the beginning of the story,

Bartleby acts as a mule, overworking as the Narrator doesn’t bat an eye. There is a sense of

ignorance that is reflected in the Narrator. When Bartleby is getting ready to leave, The Narrator

then realizes that Bartleby’s vision was harmed at the beginning of his time at the company.

For example, “Do you not see the reason for yourself,” he indifferently replied. I looked

steadfastly at him, and perceived that his eyes looked dull and glazed. Instantly it occurred to me,

that his unexampled diligence in copying by his dim window for the first few weeks of his stay

with me might have temporarily impaired his vision”(Melville 17). This quote could be taken

one of two ways. The first way is literally. The hard work that Bartleby did when he first started

working disturbed his vision. However, the other way it could be taken is metaphorically. The

Narrator didn’t put enough time into thinking about Bartleby and the things that were right in

front of him. He didn’t see the reason for Bartleby’s behavior himself, even when it was so

apparent to everyone around that something was wrong. He is the only one who does not

understand which could account for him being misunderstood. However, it is important to note

that he was perfectly capable of taking action. There was no reason why Bartleby had no one to

turn to. There is a selfishness that comes with putting problems with one of your employees off

until it reaches a breaking point.

Throughout Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story Of Wall-street many different themes are

explored. The consequences of Bartleby and The Narrator's actions impact every character in the

story. However, it is apparent that The Narrator acts selfishly and does not provide proper

support and doesn’t take action in Bartleby’s wellbeing. The Narrator is a man who neglects a

coworker for the company. He proves to be so devoted to his job that he does not provide an
 5

ounce of humanity for a man who is showing signs of a mental illness. The Narrator showcases

what it is like to be in the trenches of Wall Street and corporate America.

Works Cited
 6

Couser, Gregory P. MD, MPH Challenges and Opportunities for Preventing Depression in the

Workplace: A Review of the Evidence Supporting Workplace Factors and Interventions, Journal

of Occupational and Environmental Medicine: April 2008 - Volume 50 - Issue 4 - p 411-427

doi: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e318168efe2

“Introduction.” Mental Illness at Work a Manager's Guide to Identifying, Managing and

Preventing Psychological Problems in the Workplace, by Mary-Clare Race and Adrian

Furnham, Palgrave Macmillan, 2014, pp. 6–6.

Melville, Herman. “Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story Of Wall-street.” The Piazza Tales,

1856, pp. 9.