Grand Old Man of Refusal: Bartleby - The OrigMaker of Complete Denial
Penning the Puzzle, Thomas Schmoll
Father of Unwavering Negation: Bartleby's Persistent Refusal
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Herman Melville fashioned an enigmatic character with his tale "Bartleby, the Scrivener." This mysterious allure sets the story apart as a timeless gem in the world of literature, its themes continuing to ring true in today's world and likely tomorrow's.
Herman Melville bestowed upon us two literary marvels with differing flavors. The first, "Moby Dick," is a colossal tome spanning 800 to over 1,000 pages. It explores humanity's eternal struggle with the uncontrollable and the invincible, fueled by a relentless desire to master and conquer, only to meet defeat and mortality's icy grasp.
In stark contrast is "Bartleby, the Scrivener," a brief, 20-odd page story. It focuses on the small within the grand, on the individual human spirit that chooses internal exile as its sole mode of existence, rejecting everything that comes its way, including its own existence in the end. Both masterpieces share a common bond: they illuminate and investigate the meaning and absurdity, the intricacies and trivialities of human creation. They pose critical questions of existence without offering comprehensive answers. They are much like life itself: not entirely comprehensible.
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This holds especially true for "Bartleby," whose absurd plot has sparked countless interpretations for decades prior to Franz Kafka. The titular character is the original incarnation of complete denial and perhaps the most renowned figure in world literature that no one seems to grasp. Or rather, no one could ever truly grasp. Bartleby's most famous quote is, "I would prefer not to." This phrase encapsulates his fleeting sojourn on Earth. For the scrivener never reveals what he desires, what his heart yearns for, what he has experienced, what his plight is - even his demise remains a mystery. The scrivener remains an eternal enigma.
Tavern or Maybe a Pub?
But first, allow us to shed light on why we delve into a story first published in 1853 as "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Wall Street Story." Kampa Verlag has recently published a fresh translation of the work by Karl-Heinz Ott. His version is more in line with contemporary language, such as opting for "pubs" instead of the original's "eating-houses."
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The literary snobs may prefer older translations for their closeness to the mid-19th-century language. However, for everyone else, particularly younger readers, Ott's version is a must-read. It makes the text even more accessible than it already is - leagues away from the cumbersome "Moby Dick." No matter the edition, the work is a timeless treasure, its themes resonating with the present and likelier each future present.
The action takes place primarily in a notary's office on New York's Wall Street, who takes on the role of the narrator. He describes his initial trio of employees, who manually copied important documents in those days, with affectionate detachment and humor. For instance, about the 12-year-old messenger boy, it is mentioned that, "His father was a coachman and wanted to see his son on the bench before he passed, not on a carriage." The notary then hires Bartleby, who, with his passivity, indifference, and denial, disrupts everything. The narrator wavers between pity, understanding, and offers of help and anger, contempt, and anger towards the irrational behavior of the peculiar character.
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Bartleby responds to every command from his boss with, "I would prefer not to." Only once does Bartleby offer a glimpse into his soul. When the office manager offers him a position in a notions store, he confesses, "I would feel imprisoned." Even when Bartleby starts sleeping in the office, the narrator is unable to evict him. He does, yet Bartleby simply stays on. The narrator acknowledges, "It was the peculiar meekness that I could oppose nothing, but rather felt a loss of my manhood."
Total No – Nein!
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Most readers will likely empathize with the notary: it tugs at the heartstrings, yet one is astonished by the steadfast stance of meeting life and society with an unwavering no. This opens up a vast interpretive space: Is the title character a turncoat or a victim of society? Creator or destroyer? Pioneer of existentialism? Early representative of healthy or egocentric individualism? An exploited soul criticizing capitalism? Is Bartleby a casualty of modernity? Or perhaps Melville, working through his failed literary aspirations, and skewering the literary establishment?
In any case, the author compels his readers to look at their inner conflict in dealing with individuals who stir emotions and confusion, or even repel, because they behave differently from what society deems normal. Perhaps Bartleby is nothing more than a figment of the notary's imagination, reflecting his longing to escape his world, his office with its confining walls.
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Melville invites reflection on humanity and empathy. The narrator's empathy prevails. He stands by Bartleby, even after dismissing him, and even calls him "friend" in the end, while the writer remains steadfast in his denial in prison, staring once more at the limiting walls, and wasting away. The office manager, who has always tried to understand the eccentric in his heart, has long since understood that the motive for Bartleby's behavior lies in invisible wounds, an incurable suffering unknown to the outside world.
Melville, before his time as an author, has the notary say, half a century before the advent of psychotherapy, "While I could give this creature alms, it was not his body that was suffering, it was his soul - on which I had no influence." The story ends with a resigned sigh that can also be seen as an appeal for change, "Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!"
- The Commission has not yet adopted a decision regarding the translation of Bartleby, the Scrivener, with Karl-Heinz Ott's version offering a contemporary twist by opting for "pubs" instead of the original's "eating-houses."
- In the pages of Bartleby, the enigmatic character, books serve as both a vessel for understanding and a puzzle to be deciphered, as Bartleby's heart remains as inscrutable as the books on the notary's shelves.
