Kumari Saumya

22/0788, 2B

Q. Explore the significance of Bartleby’s famous phrase “I would prefer not to”. What does this
refusal signify in terms of Bartleby’s character and his relationship to authority?

Set against the backdrop of a bustling law office in mid-nineteenth-century New York City, Herman
Melville portrays a bitter, covert satire of American business success. The soul-crushing monotony
within the law office serves as a biting critique of the dehumanizing effects of capitalist society,
revealing the emptiness and absurdity that underlie notions of capitalist success. Apart from that,
‘Bartleby, the Scrivener’ is an exploration of various themes like isolation and alienation,
individualism and conformity, existentialism and identity, compassion and empathy. All of these get
uncovered gradually through Bartleby’s phrase “I would prefer not to”. The character of Bartleby is
introduced into the world of the story as "a motionless young man, pallidly neat, pitiably respectable,
and incurably forlorn." From this point forward, we get the impression that Bartleby is not the type of
character who will fit in with the lawyer's world of legal records and passionless laws. We also get to
know that he will stand on the opposing side of the lawyer's created office of law, which is founded
on self-interest and nourished by the reasoning of capturing people's emotions and fulfilling their
greed.

The subtle yet profound defiance Bartleby has towards established power systems in "Bartleby, the
Scrivener" characterises his relationship with authority. Bartleby's unconventionality is immediately
apparent when he joins the story as a new hire. Bartleby first complies with work responsibilities, but
he soon starts to go against the grain. His refusal to complete the chores the narrator assigns him,
always replying with his signature statement, "I would prefer not to," is a crucial example of his
disobedience of authority. Bartleby is expected to complete basic clerical tasks, but he refuses to
cooperate, upending the power dynamics in the office. Furthermore, Bartleby's refusal to submit to or
be substituted by those in positions of authority is demonstrated by his continued passive possession
of the office even after being dismissed. He declines to go, signifying his defiance of social norms and
his effort to make his presence known in spite of marginalisation. Bartleby continues to defy
authority, even after being confronted by the landlord and ultimately being sent to prison. He
continues to resist passively while imprisoned by abstaining from food, symbolising his unwavering
will to be non-compliant until his untimely death.

Bartleby stays in the office, choosing to do nothing but complete his job, while his employer keeps
looking for novel methods to get him back into the mainstream. However, it is Bartleby who rules the
office rather than his employer, who discovers with dismay that he and his employees are becoming
accustomed to using "prefer."

Bartleby only copies documents; nothing further will come of it. In "a singularly mild, firm voice," he
declines when requested to verify his copies, saying, "I would prefer not to." He keeps his cool and
repeats this formula three times without providing an explanation. His employer is unsure of what to
do with him: "Had there been the least uneasiness, anger, impatience or impertinence in his manner;
in other words, had there been anything ordinarily human about him, doubtless I should have
dismissed him from the premises. But as it was, I should have as soon thought of turning my pale
plaster-of-paris bust of Cicero out of doors".

He gets the impression that Bartleby is unlike other men; there's something rigid and unchanging
about him, like to the lifeless bust of an elderly Roman. He gets the same response in a follow-up
encounter, and once more Bartleby's peculiar charm stops his employer: "With any other man I
should have flown outright into a dreadful passion, scorned all further words, and thrust him
ignominiously from my presence. But there was something about Bartleby that not only strangely
disarmed me, but, in a wonderful manner, touched and disconcerted me.” We learn everything there is
to know about Bartleby's character only from the narrator’s words.

The following pivotal event in the master-clerk relationship occurs on a Sunday morning when the
lawyer goes by his office en route to Trinity Church and discovers that Bartleby has locked him out.
Bartleby, in his typical polite style, requests that his master come back after strolling around the block
two or three times, explaining that he is too busy to admit him. He finds Bartleby gone when he gets
back, and after looking into his hermitage, he concludes that Bartleby has been residing in his small
area. It's not Bartleby's outward poverty that suddenly horrifies him; rather, it's the idea of Wall
Street's terrible loneliness on a Sunday morning or at night—"an emptiness."

As he opens Bartleby's desk, he discovers a savings bank wrapped in a handkerchief. This eliminates
the one reason—poverty—that his analytical mind could have used to defend Bartleby's actions. The
lawyer goes over Bartleby's actions, including his never-ending silence, his extended daydreams in
front of the blank wall across from his window, his self-imposed exile, and his "pallid haughtiness,"
that completely self-assured and purposeful retreat from life that not only disarms but also "awes" his
employer into "a tame compliance with his eccentricities"

The narrator, like in a mediaeval morality play, is caught between good and bad impulses; his fidelity
to Wall Street, the world of illusion, and his compassion for Bartleby clash. He can't fire Bartleby
since that would be unfair to a "helpless creature," but he also can't let him stay in his office and
damage his reputation in the workplace.

While reading the narrative, we wonder why the lawyer does nothing to prosecute Bartleby. It is
acknowledged by the narrator that Bartleby "unmans" him with his "wonderful mildness." He
attempts his best to fulfil the obligation he feels towards him by doing something kind for Bartleby,
but the latter responds by rejecting the entire idea. The attorney is attempting to include Bartleby into
his framework and self-interested justification. Bartleby challenges this line of thinking in a way that
causes the lawyer to doubt its veracity. The power of the society Bartleby lives in defeats the lawyer
even after he grants him space in his office. The lawyer is not able to face the crisis, so he leaves
Bartleby and leaves the country too.

The lawyer's easy, safe life and his theory of assumptions are the antithesis of Bartleby's will,
individuality, and theory of preferences. Broadly speaking, Bartleby's confrontation with the lawyer
and his established worldview might be interpreted as a critique of the commercialism of the day.
Another way to think of Bartleby is as the artist who chooses to "defy" this harsh society, even if it
means doing nothing. He's the "forlorn saint of defiance in the American walled world of legalism and
commerce and utilitarian morality." The narrative is meant to reach its human culmination when the
narrator makes a compassionate gesture towards the end. The term "kings and counsellors," which is
purposefully taken from the Book of Job, is what grants Bartleby the honour of being in the company
of these people after his death. The previous servant-master connection ends with Bartleby's passing.
The storyteller attempts to relate Bartleby's predicament to humanity's. "Ah, Bartleby, Ah, humanity,"
he sobs. This is meant to be a cry of hope for the "ultimate victory of humanity, and its final triumph."
Kingsley Widmer challenges this conclusion, stating that "the attorney's final statement must be read
with some irony. It makes up for his moralizing failure to understand Bartleby; he makes a last
sentimental gesture when confronted with overwhelming resistance to his faith." This statement, on
the other hand, reveals "the confession of a decent, prudent, rational liberal who finds in the chambers
of his consciousness the incomprehensible, perverse, irrational demon of denial, and of his own
denied humanity." He concludes by saying that "the theme of the story lies in the attempts to wryly
force benevolent American rationalism to an awareness of our forlorn humanity."

Throughout the narrative, Bartleby's character doesn't truly change. He is unwavering in "his asserting
of his will by denying it" and never gives in to temptation of any type. We sense a shift in the lawyer's
persona—from the dehumanisation of human souls to an acceptance of human sorrow and loneliness,
which ultimately results in a sense of solidarity with the plight of all humanity. Through his attempts
to rationalise or justify Bartleby's illogical and nihilistic nature, the lawyer comes to recognise himself
as a fellow human being. They also help him realise that sometimes his justification for a simple, safe
life is based on the pain and suffering of others. We can at least give him credit for acknowledging
Bartleby's pain and loneliness, even if his last words are emotional and he fails to weave Bartleby's
character into his own life. In the epilogue, Bartleby confirms that he knows the lawyer, which could
be interpreted as Bartleby's only means of getting through to him. The attorney "touches Bartleby's
hand and feels a tingling shiver up in his arms and down his spine to his feet." This is an additional
instance of the last communication between Bartleby and his lawyer.

“I might give alms to his body; but his body did not pain him; it was his soul that suffered, and his
soul I could not reach.” The narrator's meditation on Bartleby's character in these words is heartfelt,
portraying him as a person whose pain transcends the material world and into the core of his being.
Even while the narrator is prepared to provide Bartleby with material aid, he admits that he cannot
ease the deep suffering that exists within Bartleby's soul. This interpretation highlights Bartleby's
mysterious character and alludes to deeper levels of existential unrest, alienation, or maybe a strong
disobedience to social mores.

Beyond simple rebellion, Bartleby's reluctance to give in to pressure or live up to social norms is a
deep remark on existential issues. His passive resistance raises issues regarding the nature of personal
agency under the existing power structures. This line, spoken repeatedly by Bartleby, is a symbolic
gesture of defiance against the forces of industrial modernity that is dehumanising people. By refusing
to participate in the assigned tasks and activities, Bartleby demonstrates his independence and his
freedom to determine his own life. This denial is a daring declaration of human freedom against
repressive power rather than a sign of lethargy or indifference.