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

Image: http://orig00.deviantart.net/f7c7/f/2013/316/e/c/isolation_8_by_jessica_art-d6tz9dv.jpg

Thesis statement: Aristotle suggests that a hero of a tragedy must suggest in the audience a sense of pity or fear saying, “the change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity.” In other words, the focus of the tragic hero should not be in the loss of his prosperity. In Bartleby the Scrivener, Bartleby is a tragic anti-hero; not in the sense of Aristotle, but in the modern sense of an ordinary man which is a hero in grief, misery or disaster.

Bartleby is a man that lives alone in his workplace. He sleeps, eats and just hangs out in his cubicle. He has no friends or family. The only people Bartleby ever sees are his coworkers but he basically refuses all interaction with them. This short story explores the nature of Bartleby’s extreme isolation and of it’s impact on the world around him. When Bartleby says, ”I would prefer not to”, it tells the reader about Bartleby isolating himself. The phrase shows his lack of involvement which is another form of isolation. By not fitting into normal society, Bartleby left himself open to isolation.  It’s unclear why Bartleby stops doing his duties, but he does show signs of depression and then insanity. It’s when Bartleby is finally abandoned and imprisoned in even more inhumane conditions that he can’t bear to live at all.