Blog#4 Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story Of Wall-street

My favorite two parts of this short movie about “Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street” are from 0:00 to 4:15, which shows the characteristics of Bartleby, and from 10:40 to 11:23, which implies the characteristics of the lawyer.

From 0:00 to 4:15, the plot begins with an interview between Bartleby and the lawyer. During the interview, Bartleby replies quickly with the lawyer’s request and follows whatever the lawyer asks him to do. Initially, he is very productive. However, after three days, he calmly refuses when asked to help with proofreading or any other office tasks, and “I would prefer not to” is his negative reply in the movie stated mildly but firmly and without anger or impatience. From the following text in the book:

“These are your own copies we are about to examine. It is labor saving to you because one examination will answer for your four papers. It is common usage. Every copyist is bound to help examine his copy. Is it not so? Will you not speak? Answer!” “I prefer not to,” he replied in a flute-like tone.”

“Go to the next room, and tell Nippers to come to me.” “I prefer not to,” he respectfully and slowly said, and mildly disappeared.

“I prefer not to dine to-day,” said Bartleby, turning away. “It would disagree with me; I am unused to dinners.” So saying he slowly moved to the other side of the inclosure and took up a position fronting the dead-wall.

we can discover, this negative preference gradually extends from preferring not to proofread to almost everything including basic office tasks, daily conversation, and even eating. “I prefer not to” become repeatedly appearing in the Bartleby’s daily office work. As Bartleby begun to refuse to do more and more things and becoming more and more passive, he started to constraint himself to his “dead-wall reveries”. All of this strange and lazy behaviors make Bartleby look futile, pallid, forlorn and cadaverous. Even though Bartleby is physically weak, he has incredible mental strength—- his passive resistance to anything demanded of him or suggested to him is unbreakable.

From 10:40 to 11:23, when the lawyer asked Bartleby why he stopped copying, Bartleby responds with “Can’t you see the reason for yourself”. Then, lawyer realizes that his eyesight is gone bad because he keeps scribbling here in the dark. Even though Bartleby should be blamed for his useless, the lawyer should be criticized too. He is selfish without caring about his employees. He only cares about whether sufficient jobs are done on time. He doesn’t even notice Bartleby’s bad eyesight due to the dark working environment. The selfishness of the lawyer become more prominent as the plot goes on. He only cares about making the best use possible use of Bartleby. He kept Bartleby only for a good conscience, and he built his charitable actions in terms of cost versus returns and utility. He thought Bartleby will be ill-treated at another office, making him less useful to some other employers, and by extension, society, and he can keep Bartleby as a worker. He is a cheap labor, and he will at least do some works. only for a good conscience. Finally, when Bartleby starts affecting his business, the lawyer soon leaves and abandons him.