Story Summary – Bartleby, the Scrivener 

Herman Melville (1819-1891)

Bartleby the Scrivener

The author is a master in chancery, a profession connected with the law. In addition to his two copyists – Turkey and Nippers – he needed 0 more. In response to his advertisement one morning a young. stood upon his office threshold. He was pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, and incurably forlorn. It was Bartleby.

The author was glad to engage him. He might op beneficially upon the flighty temper of Turkey and the fiery Nippers.

Bartleby did an extraordinary quantity of writing written on, silently, palely, and mechanically. But on the third day, he said “I would prefer not to” when the author told him to examine a small paper with him. The author was utterly surprised and got angry with him. But Bartleby’s extraordinary calmness disarmed him. He called Nippers from the other room and got the paper speedily examined.

A few days after, the author called all the copyists, and the office boy Ginger Nut, to examine four lengthy documents. All came, except Bartleby. He again said, “I would prefer not to”. The author was astounded by this totally unexpected answer, but again he did not take any action against him because he found something in Bartleby which touched him and disconcerted him. Some days passed, and the author observed that Bartleby did not take any dinner, nor did he leave his room. He called Bartleby one afternoon to compose the papers. But the same answer came, “I would prefer not to.” When, in this way, he repeated the same answer, the author deeply thought over the matter and ultimately reconciled himself to the situation. One day he discovered that Bartleby lived exclusively in the room. He never went out, nor met any man.

The author decided to dismiss him, and one morning he went to his chamber and called him. When he came out the author asked him about his birthplace. He told Bartleby to be a little reasonable. But he answered that he would prefer not to be a little reasonable. Meanwhile, the author and his clerks seemed to have been affected by the repeated use of the word “Prefer”.

The next day the author noticed that Bartleby did nothing but stood at his window in his dead wall reverie. On being asked why he did not write, he said that he had decided upon doing no more writing. A few days later when Bartleby did not resume writing, the author told him decently that he must leave the office unconditionally in six days’ time. He assured his assistance, monetary or otherwise. After six days Bartleby was found still in his office; the author again told him gently to vacate and left some money on the table.

The next morning Bartleby was still there. The author was in a rage and felt like killing him, but he remembered one commandment of the Bible, “Ye love one another”, and refrained from doing any violence. He rather indulged in the philosophical meandering that it was his fate or the will of the mysterious providence. But he could not remain in that blessed mood for long, because his professional colleagues expressed concern about the consequences of allowing Bartleby to haunt the place. Still, he tried to persuade Bartley to leave, but to no effect; he threatened him with serious consequences, but still all in vain. The author moved his chamber to another building, but still, Bartleby haunted the building, though he was evicted by the landlord of the old building and his new tenant. Everybody was concerned, clients were leaving the offices, and some fears were entertained of a mob. The author met Bartleby, offered him all sorts of occupations, and even told him he might stay at his house. But Bartleby refused even that. The author undertook a Rockaway trip around to avoid rude persecution by the people.

When he entered his office again he found a note laid upon the desk which said that the police had removed Bartleby to the Tombs (a prison house) as a vagrant.

The author visited Bartleby in the prison and told the grub man to arrange all pleasant things for Bartleby, and giving the grub man some money, came back. A few days later the author revisited the prison and found Bartleby dead at the base of a wall of the prison not accessible to common prisoners. A few months later, he heard – some rumors about Bartleby’s life before joining the author’s service. One rumor was that Bartleby had been a subordinate clerk in the dead-letter office at Washington. The author felt dead letters sound like dead men.