great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

NICOLE: How is the narrator in life of a sensuous woman different from Bartleby when dealing with the satisfaction of others? Is one of these characters more worried of the perception of others than the other?

TARA: Compare Monkey’s journey in Journey to the West, to the Woman’s journey in From life of a Sensuous Woman. Did they both achieve enlightenment at the end of their journey?

MARIA: Compare and contrast Monkey, the Sensuous Woman and Bartleby in the role of a traditional hero, anti-hero or satanic hero. What makes them one of the three types of heroes if any?

Jacqueline’s Question:

Choose one heroic theme, the Traditional Hero, the Satanic Hero, or the Anti- Hero, and compare the characteristics of Monkey from Journey to the West and Bartleby from Bartleby, The Scrivener that make them fall under the same heroic model.

Your responses on March 10^th:

(Just a note: A few of you were listed on the group’s title, but did not provide a post. If you were in this situation, you did not receive credit for being present.)

You all make compelling arguments for both Bartleby and the narrator as different kinds of heroes.

Traditional Hero: Bartleby:  Jiwoo; Jorge M.; Bintou; Jorge G.; Muneeb; Tara; Nicole; Jacquline; Michelle.  Here Bartleby’s refusal can be seen, as Jiwoo says, “the least he can do.”  This is often cited for modern heroes, that they live in a world where they are powerless to do anything but simply refuse to participate in an invalid society. Bintou and Tara point out that this is a kind of rebellion and so an action. Jaqueline makes a very interesting comment about Bartleby as qualifying for Aristotle’s tragic hero, and she points to the trait of nobility as proof, as Bartleby “takes the high road” of non-violence in his civil disobedience.

The narrator can also be seen as a traditional hero, in the sense that he does in fact act, when he does not do what is expected of him, and that is to fire him immediately. It’s interesting, because here is a provocative question: Can one sometimes “act” without acting? I think one can, but I wonder what others think? Nicole points out that the narrator, however, can be seen as acting, when he offers to take Bartleby home with him, and this is a very specific piece of evidence for her case. Jorge makes the comment that Bartleby’s death actually pointing to the “futility of our existence” proves that Bartleby in fact completes the heroic journey (but Bartleby didn’t send a letter to the narrator).

Anti-Hero: Daphne; Aly; Joseph; Farhan; Songyun

Bartleby can certainly be seen as the anti-hero, and his refusal, rather than being perceived as an act of civil disobedience, can be seen as simply giving up and doing nothing.

The narrator can, as well, be seen as the anti-hero. Yes, as Daphne points out, he connects Bartleby with humanity (and that is a very telling last line of the narrative). In other words, he sees that to be human is to be somehow already defeated, and the narrator, like Bartleby, can be seen as helpless here in this world. Joseph points out that the narrator, although seeing the deeper problem, never actually does anything, but just leaves his own offices. Farhan points to Bartleby’s isolationism, but the fact that his actions are inscrutable, makes him at best an anti-hero. Songyun puts Bartleby into this category, because he does not have the courage to act.

Satanic/Byronic Hero: Susanna; Keauna; Maria; Francesca; Joaquin; Onu;Rebecca;

Here, Bartleby’s refusal can certainly be seen as socially unacceptable, as Rebecca points out, and to defend this stance properly, one would have to show that his refusal could actually be potentially harmful for the society at large. Maria points out that Bartleby actually dies for his cause, and I wonder what others think? Francesca and Keauna make interesting comments, when they say that Bartleby is indeed rebelling, and even succumbing into Nihilism (which often could be said of the Satanic/Byronic hero). Joaquin sees Bartleby’s refusal as childish, and therefore socially unacceptable. Onu sees Bartleby’s behavior and actions as unjustified.

Other: Preston; Jamie

Preston makes a compelling argument for Bartleby being no hero at all, when he says that Bartleby acts “nonchalantly and without purpose.” Does Bartleby actually say anything to make us believe that he, in fact, in acting in a purposeful way? Are his actions enough to make us believe that? Just questions to think about. Jamie says that this is simply the case of a depressed individual, who cannot bring himself to live a viable life.

“Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” is a short story by the American writer Herman Melville in which there are two main characters, Bartleby and his boss, the narrator.  I believe Bartleby is a satanic hero because he sees reality, his reality and instead of talking or asking for help he decides to act in a childish inappropriate way.  Out of nowhere, Bartleby decided he would not work anymore and he answers with what became his perpetual response, “I would prefer not to.” It is obvious he has his own reasons but the way he did it is wrong.  Instead of opening up and speaking about whatever was bothering him or even asking for help he stopped working and stopped talking without giving any proper reason.  In a professional relationship is socially inappropriate and I do not think he conducted in a correct way and even though his boss could have done more it was not his responsibility or his role.  

• Joaquin

Bartleby is an interesting character with little to say but with a lot of meaning behind it. He prefers not to do much but there’s a hint of logic, mystery and purity behind his actions. The narrator himself goes back and forth on how he feels and he slowly understands certain things about Bartleby. At first the narrator only sees the big picture which is he hired an employee for this copyist job at his Wall Street firm. Slowly he finds out more details, the truth, such as Bartleby living in the workplace. Even though the narrator thought about helping Bartleby he ends up trying to fire him. Here the narrator is see the truth and thinks the solution is to fire Bartleby. “The time has come; you must quit this place;…” he tells him to leave and pays him off. I find both characters to be Satanic Heroes for that reason. They both mean well but Bartleby’s peculiar behavior is not justified in how he treats certain task/request while the narrator is willing to change his own office space just to get rid of an employee to help him move on.

-Onu Mezbah

In Herman Melville’s short story Bartleby the Scriviner, the protagonist, Bartleby is a classic example of an anti-hero. An anti-hero is one who lacks heroic attributes. This story symbolizes the classic middle-class struggles society faces. Workers who don’t have a choice but to work the typical 9-5 schedule like many others. It is a tragedy in the sense that the protagonist’s ultimate sufferings and later, death. Bartleby does not have any heroic attributes that a hero might possess. When the author first introduces him in the story, it seems as if he is a nobody. For example, the author states “A motionless young man one morning stood upon my office threshold, the door being open, for it was summer. I can see that figure now pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, incurably forlorn! It was Bartleby.” Bartleby therefore is not a tragic hero but rather an anti-hero. Reason being is because he mysteriously imposes his hardships for mysterious purposes that the author does not state. He might have been suffering through mental disabilities or other issues. Overall, he is one of the most isolated characters in the story.

• Farhan Zaman

Rebecca:

Bartleby: The Satanic Hero

A Satanic hero is someone who sees the truth, where most cannot, and responds, but in a socially inappropriate way. What exactly Bartleby is protesting is unclear, but it is clear that he is protesting something. I believe that he is protesting the monotonic lifestyle they, and maybe the entire society, are living. Another aspect of this is that the entire society is in essence doing the same job as he is, making copies. People imitate others, trends, actions, and words. Bartleby is protesting the meaningless life that he and the rest of the society are living by “preferring not to,” and doing nothing at all. He doesn’t respond in the proper way, by voicing his protest and making a change. But he also doesn’t go about his life as usual, not responding to the situation. He does in fact, respond to the situation in a socially inappropriate way. He fails to use the appropriate words to explain what he is doing and why, and he remains in places he shouldn’t. “‘I prefer not to,’ he replied in a flute like tone. It seems to me that while I had been addressing him, he carefully revolved every statement that I made; fully comprehended the meaning….. but , at the same time, some paramount consideration prevailed with him to reply as he did.” (303) Bartleby completely understood, and had a response that was not socially appropriate. Bartleby is a prime example of a satanic hero, realizing a truth the rest of society couldn’t or didn’t, yet responding in a socially inappropriate way.

Songyun: The anti-hero

              An antihero, is a protagonist who lacks conventional heroic qualities such as idealism, courage, or morality. An anti-hero sees the truth, when most cannot, he or she does not act. He is typically in conflict with a world he cannot control or whose values he rejects. Bartleby, is an anti-hero in the 19th century middle-class tragedies focusing on social problems and issues. Bartleby, does not possess any heroic qualities, nor does have tragic flaw. He has no idealism, courage like the traditional hero. His very first appearance “A motionless young man one morning stood upon my office threshold, the door being open, for it was summer. I can see that figure now pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, incurably forlorn! It was Bartleby.” Here we can see he is not a tragic hero in the traditional sense. He is a tragic hero in the sense that he is a victim, almost innocent, of the social system he had to live in.

Michelle: The Traditional Hero

A traditional hero is one that abides by the law and follows the rules. The traditional hero sees the truth when others can’t and acts on it. Although my group members have different views where Rebecca explains he is a satanic hero and Songyun believes he is a anti-hero, I disagree and argue that Bartleby (the Scrivener) is a traditional hero. As a working man on Wall Street, he is expected to do the work that is asked of him by his manager or higher level bosses. Although Bartleby did not necessarily take action, he did take action though. Instead of complying with the routine idea of “he’s my boss or my superior so I must comply with what he asks of me”, he does the complete opposite. By doing so, he stands out to the Lawyer where he says, “I waive the biographies of all other scriveners for a few passages in the life of Bartleby, who was a scrivener, the strangest I ever saw, or heard of.” When the lawyer asks him to examine a small document that he needs but responds with “I would prefer not to.” Instead of the Lawyer asking him again (since he is at a higher position than him) he does not do so since he’s in shock and asks Nippers to do it instead. This demonstrates that Bartleby is not your typical narrator, but a ‘traditional hero’ but going against social norms.

Susanna Domosi:

Bartleby in “Bartleby, the Scrivener” by Herman Melville can be viewed as a satanic hero. A satanic hero is a character who has a certain insight into life others do not, and proceeds to act on this insight in a non-conformist way. In many cases of satanic heroes, as well as Bartleby’s, the action taken by the hero is socially inappropriate: “‘I would prefer to be left alone here,’ said Bartleby, as if offended at being mobbed in his privacy” (Melville 310). It is socially inappropriate for an employee to refuse to follow the directions of his boss, especially when the employer is asking the employee to perform the task that the job requires. Bartleby “preferring” not to work is symbolic of how people in society should not be required of performing monotonous jobs. Even though other employees are performing the tedious and unfulfilling work of making copies, Bartleby, as a satanic hero, makes a statement by not performing his duties. This statement is that humans are meant to strive for fulfillment in life, which cannot be achieved by working day after day as a scrivener.

Jiwoo Han:

Susanna’s post is really well organized and interesting to me, but I have a different perspective from hers. Bartleby is not a satanic hero, but a traditional hero. From the viewpoint of his status as a scrivener hired by his boss, his refusal to the boss’s request is the least he can do.   

Even though it is extremely easy to see that Bartleby looks like an impotent and lazy man throughout the story, he also can be seen as a traditional hero. A traditional hero is the one who knows the truth, when others do not, and acts on it. It can be put it simple that Bartleby, in the story, is the one who wants to escape from routine of the world and the rest of the characters are the one who conform to a tedious routine, even they do not feel bored. “I would prefer not to” (Melville 302). When Bartleby is asked to do a boring and tedious thing, he keeps saying the simple answers. This short expression itself simply represents his resistance to a routine job. Later in the story, the refusal of his meal in a prison is pretty much the same thing. Bartleby is refusing to follow routine with every part of his being.   

Daphne Young:

“Bartleby, the Scrivener” is a very complex story and I can see how the characters can be portrayed as many different types of heroes- for example, Susanna sees Bartleby as a satanic hero while Jiwoo sees him as a traditional hero.

The story is narrated by an elderly man of around 60 years old, who is the boss or employer of Bartleby. Just like Bartleby, I believe that the narrator is also a hero. One can argue that he is an anti-hero. Unlike the name suggests, an anti-hero is someone who sees the truth when most cannot, but does not act on it. In the story the narrator says, “Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity” (321). The narrator puts both Bartleby and humanity in the same remark. Why? As the story progressed Bartleby’s character is slowly revealed, at first he does his work but slowly he stopped doing everything. As my group members quoted, he simply says he would prefer not to do work and prefer to be left alone. Instead of doing something about this the narrator lets him be. Sometimes humanity or human kind does things that most view as immoral or socially unacceptable, but at a level so extreme that many do not know what to do about it. The narrator lets his frustration out by saying, “Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity!” because he knows that he should do something about Bartleby but he doesn’t.

The narrator in “Bartleby, the Scrivener” can be interpreted to represent a Traditional Hero as described by Campbell and Aristotle. The traditional hero can be explained as a hero who sees the truth when most of the other people cannot and the person acts on it. In the middle of the story, the narrator comes to a realization over why Bartleby continually acts strange when he is present in the office. The narrator goes on to say, “For the first time in my life a feeling of overpowering stinging melancholy seized me…The bond of a common humanity now drew me irresistibly to gloom,”. The event that led the narrator to say this was when he noticed that Bartleby was all alone and did not have a place to call his own. He slept in the offices yet he remained humble about his situation, never asking for more money or trying to get someone to show him sympathy. In this case, the narrator is a hero because he sees the truth, which is the realization that Bartleby did not have anyone or anything, and he acts on it. His actions included not throwing him out of the office and they also included him letting Bartleby stay in his premises for a longer period of time.

• Jorge Moreno

The title character Bartleby in “Bartleby, the Scrivener”, upon analysis, can be seen as an Anti-Hero. An anti-hero is, by definition, a character that sees circumstances or misfortunes that other cannot and takes action by means that most would view as socially unacceptable or even illegal. The most compelling quote that supports this statement would be one that is repeated over and over again and can be viewed almost as Bartleby’s “catchphrase”. “I would prefer not to,” Bartleby says multiple times throughout the course of the short story in response to the many tasks that the narrator asks him to complete. Taking an insightful approach, one could say that Bartleby’s unfortunate circumstances are an example of humanity as a whole. He works an unfulfilling job as a copier, repeating the routines of life, and going nowhere still. However, rather than take a positive approach and attempting to achieve more, or find more purpose, Bartleby chooses to take a silent stand. It’s still a “heroic” action since Bartleby is more or less protesting what he believes to be unjust or not right, however by normal standards, the means in which he goes about this is wrong and even ends with his death.

• Aly Yoon

Both my group members make good points about each character and what kind of hero they are.  Although I believe the narrator in “Bartleby, the Scrivener” is no hero at all.  Throughout the story Bartleby continues to act nonchalantly and without purpose.  The narrator just watches and keeps allowing him to do this without any help or inspiration to do more.  Soon he just gives up on Bartleby and wants him to fend for himself: “but, really, the man you allude to is nothing to me-he is no relation or apprentice of mine, that you should hold me responsible for him”.  If the narrator was a hero he would be able to see the truth of Bartleby but even if he couldn’t see it, a hero would have tried to help out and not give up so easily.  Although he tried to help in the beginning and in the end, the narrator should not have given up, no matter what.  Some can argue that he did see the truth when others couldn’t see it, but around the time he was being kicked out the narrator shared the same point of view as the people around him.

• Preston Cheung

The Narrator as an Anti-Hero

Throughout the story the narrator is fighting through an internal conflict on whether or not to fire Bartleby for his behavior. At first Bartleby seemed like a great worker until Bartleby started to answer with “I would prefer not to” when asked to work. The narrator saw that there was a problem with Bartleby but when the narrator questioned Bartleby on why he does not want to work, constantly answers with “I would prefer not to”, and just stares into a daze, Bartleby refused to answer the narrator. The narrator finally decided to fire Bartleby and asked him to leave the office after debating it for most of the story. When the narrator found out that Bartleby did not leave, the narrator claimed, “Since he will not quit me, i must quit him. I will change my offices; I will move elsewhere…” Instead of acting to help Bartleby, since the narrator can see there is a problem, the narrator just left Bartleby and did not help him. This is classified as an Anti-Hero. An anti-hero sees the truth but instead of trying to help a person they just leave the person alone, trying to avoid the person with the problem like the narrator did to Bartleby.

-Joseph Morreale

I would say Bartleby is the traditional hero because at the lawyer’s firm he is given a proposition from the narrator who is the lawyer but does not accept it & replies back , “I would prefer not to.” Although he didn’t take action but simply turned it down no action is also a sign of action. As for the other scriveners who worked there did what the lawyer said and they all did good a job, the usual, but he stated, “I waive the biographies of all other scriveners for a few passages in the life of Bartleby, who was a scrivener, the strangest I ever saw, or heard of.” Bartleby was great at his job but chose to be different from the other scriveners by making different choices. He rebelled in the calmest way & was awed by the narrator. Instead of the narrator getting rid of Bartleby he observes him more and going toward he is amazed – and curious of – by Bartleby .

                                                                                                                  -Bintou Samura

With a character like Bartleby, it’s a little hard to tell what kind of hero he is. To some, he might not even seem like a hero. However, in my opinion, Bartleby is a Byronic hero. In the beginning of the story, Bartleby comes off as an introvert. But as the story moves along, it becomes clear that he may be dealing with problems such as mental illness and poverty, as said by the narrator. Furthermore, throughout the story, he only speaks when spoken to, and he always answers with “I would prefer not to”. Or would deny anything asked of him, which seems like an act of rebellion. Towards the end, we find out that he used to work for the Dead Letter Office. Here is the reason why I believe Bartleby is a Byronic hero. He’s working at this job, most likely day and night trying to make a living, then all of a sudden he’s fired. He now sees life in a different perspective, he begins to defy social norms. Which is why he acts the way he does with the narrator. And as the story progresses Bartleby succumbs to nihilism, eventually, he passes away.

-Keauna

In Bartleby the Scrivener, Wall Street lawyer in need of copyists hires the quiet, reserved, and mysterious Bartleby. After a few days of doing great work, Bartleby is asked to do a task, to which he replies, “I would prefer not to.” The narrator puzzled but strangely fascinated by Bartleby’s odd behavior tries his best to understand and accommodate to Bartleby. Underneath the comic actions of Bartleby, one can say he is shedding light to the limitations of our lives and the futility of our being. A key component of a traditional hero is or any hero is the realization of something that is eluding others- as Bartleby did. “Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!” said by the lawyer after receiving a letter for Bartleby after his death, is there to only highlight that Bartleby’s actions at last made sense to him; there is futility in our existence. Bartleby’s hero’s journey was complete, as according to Campbells’ diagram the return of the hero with knowledge that influence other is the last stage of a journey.

Tara:

In Herman Melville’s Bartleby, The Scrivener. I believe Bartleby is a hero. Bartleby discovers something he dislikes and uses his silence or lack of words to voice this. Bartleby initially was an excellent worker for the lawyer. He worked through the night and the lawyer was always pleased with the work he provided. Yet, with all of the hard work Bartleby did he could not afford a place to live. The lawyer was aware that Bartleby was staying in the office overnight and on sundays, yet it never occurred to him that he was not being paid enough to find an affordable place to live. Although the lawyer often times felt pity for Bartleby when he found him there over night yet again his only response was “ What earthy right have you to stay here? Do you pay any rent? Do you pay my taxes? Or is this property yours?”(314). The lawyer suggested everything but the fact that Bartleby was not making enough money to sleep elsewhere. In my opinion Bartleby stopped working and talking for the most part because he didn’t like the way he was being treated. Working on Wall Street requires a lot of work and many hours in an office, however people accept these conditions when they are properly compensated for it. Bartleby made very little money for the hard work and countless hours he put into the lawyer’s business. Thus, Bartleby is a hero because he noticed the unfair conditions that were taking place in the Lawyer’s office, and acted on it by going against everything the lawyer asked of him.

Maria:
In Bartleby The Scrivener, Herman Melville describes the story of Bartleby, the scrivener at a law office on Wall Street who suddenly decides to rebel  and says “I prefer not to” when asked to do tasks at the law office. The story does not explicitly explain the reason to why Bartleby decided to refuse to do the tasks, but the story gives us hints as to why he might have. I believe Bartleby is a Satanic Hero as he sees the truth when others cannot and acts upon it in a socially inappropriate way. Bartleby works at a law firm on Wall Street; an epitome of capitalism, structure and hierarchy. By replying “I prefer not to” Bartleby is doing something unacceptable at a very structured firm. Bartleby works very hard at his job in the hope of some sort of benefit but got tired of seeing the greed the Wall Street employees participate in. He rebelled in  a passive aggressive approach by not directly saying “No” but simply avoiding the task. The narrator states, “At first, Bartleby did an extraordinary quantity of writing. As is long famishing for something to copy, he seemed to gorge himself on documents. There was no pause for digestion. He ran a day and night line, copying by sun-light and by candle-light”. This quote represents the tremendous amount of work Bartleby put in the law firm in the hope of recognition and higher pay. But, after a certain point he realized that the employees at the law firm as well as the narrators were simply money hungry and using him as cheap labor. This sparked an interest in him going on a silent strike against the narrator/ Wall Street.  The story ends with “Ah Bartleby, Sh Humanity”, this is a reference to how Bartleby was unable to connect with anyone, both before and after he started replying “I prefer not to.” Bartleby felt so strongly about the message he was trying to get across that he went to join and even died at the end, fighting for justice in what he believed in and the change he wanted implemented. Unfortunately, no one was able to be there for him and really understand the message he was conveying so deeply.