No one is spared by the look of walls, not even the head of the office: "owing to the great height of the surrounding buildings, and my chambers being on the second floor, the interval between this wall and mine not a little resembled a huge square cistern" (2331). The description of the chambers occupied by the law firm on Wall Street indicates the power walls effect on those who are surrounded by them. Pinsker is further considering the metaphor of the walls in this short story and their importance in defining human relationships or the lack thereof. Sanford Pinsker advances the theory that in order to understand the symbolism of Melville's short tale, one must focus on the details regarding the lawyer narrator instead of trying to solve the enigma posed by the scrivener himself. On the other hand, he lives and works under the same circumstances is therefore, subjected to similar alienation effects. The head of the office seems to be perfectly aware of their flaws and wise enough in order to make the best use of their hindered capacities. His employees, the only people he introduces as his entourage, appear to be suffering form the alienating effects of their living style. TOPIC: Thesis on Melville Bartleby the Scrivener AssignmentThe double meaning of the relationship between the lawyer narrator and Bartleby must be taken into consideration considering the environment the former describes he lived in for most of his adult life.
He further describes his lack of ambition as rather a virtue that helped him keep safe and sound through the years and reach an age of wisdom, speared of any turbulence.
Furthermore, he presents himself as a person who has found a way to go thorough life avoiding complications, perfectly adjusting to the rules and laws of society and always choosing the easiest way out of any potential problem. The repetition of the possessive pronoun announces that the narrator presents a world that he thinks is entirely under his control. Paper NOW! ⬇️ The narrator introduces himself and sets the tone for his story in terms that present the reader with a setting that encompasses a claustrophobic world: his office: "ere introducing the scrivener, as he first appeared to me, it is fit I make some mention of myself, my employees, my business, my chambers, and general surroundings" (Melville, 2330). For the contemporary reader, Bartleby's existence could have a double meaning: an alter ego for the alienated person who is living under circumstances completely different from what nature intended one to be and a choice of passive response to society's compulsiveness to adjust and submit to its strict, simple but deceptive rules.
Besides considering the personality and actions of the lawyer narrator, some others have concentrated their attention on the relationship between the two and the significance of their interaction or lack thereof. Some considered the information on the scrivener rather inconclusive and shifted their attention to the other major character in the short story, the unnamed narrator. Melville's short story, "Bartleby the Scrivener," has provided his readers and critics with enough material to speculate upon Bartleby's condition and the message the writer intends to send through his peculiar character. The relationship of Bartleby and the narrator in Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener"
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