Bartleby’s use of the word “prefer” is a powerful choice in this literature. While the meaning of the word is misleading and a source of irritation to his employer and co-workers, Bartleby was stolid and unaffected by their reaction. The dictionary definition of the word “prefer” is, “like (one thing or person) better than another or others; tend to choose” (www.oxforddictionaries.com). Preferring to do something often implies that if one had a choice, one would rather not perform the task, but in the case that one does not  have a choice, s/he will perform the task assigned. However, Bartleby uses “prefer” as a substitute for “no.” The first time Bartleby used his famous phrase, “I would prefer not to,” the narrator could not believe his ears. It took the lawyer a while to realize that Bartleby meant no in a polite manner and he was impervious to reasoning (page 302).  Bartleby chose to be polite yet obdurate in preserving his individuality throughout the course of the story by simply repeating, “I would prefer not to.”  In only one instance, Bartleby said no was when his vision was impaired and he decided not to do any more writing (page 311). His use of the word “prefer” can imply that he used “prefer” when he was physically and mentally capable of participating in examining the papers but he chose not to do so. The fact that he was unable to perform anymore writing because he was physically incapable of doing so, might have been important enough for him to say the word “no.”

Furthermore, involuntarily, everyone else in the office started using “prefer.” Annoyed with Bartleby’s behavior, which was augmented by his sour mood at the time, Turkey derided Bartleby’s use of the word “prefer.” Turkey also stated that he seldom uses the word “prefer,” yet upon asked to quit picking on Bartleby, his response was “Oh certainly, sir, if you prefer that I should” without realizing that he used “prefer” (page 310). I think Melville used “prefer” in his literature to show that a polite yet persistent use of a word can be influential enough for people to question their own individuality. People are bound by societal rules and feel threatened by the few who politely refuse to abide by the rules. Most people follow rules only because they feel they are supposed to, and individuals such as Bartleby implicitly force them to think about why they are doing what they are doing.