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Characters · 7
Bartleby
Bartleby is the mysterious, ghost-like main character of Herman Melville's 1853 story, first appearing when the Narrator hires him as a copyist in his Wall Street law office.
character
Ginger Nut
Ginger Nut is the youngest and most peripheral employee in the Narrator's Wall Street law office—a twelve-year-old errand boy whose father, a carman, has sent him to the office to study law "on his own account."
character
Nippers
Nippers is one of the two experienced scribes working for the Narrator in his Wall Street law office, primarily serving as a comic foil while also highlighting Melville's satire of office life and social ambition.
character
The Grub-Man
The Grub-Man is a minor yet symbolically significant character who shows up near the end of Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener."
character
The Landlord
The Landlord is a minor yet significant figure in Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener," appearing in the story's final section after the Narrator has left his Wall Street office to escape Bartleby's unyielding presence.
character
The Narrator (The Lawyer)
The Narrator, who identifies as an "eminently safe" Wall Street lawyer, acts as both the central consciousness of the story and its moral conundrum.
character
Turkey
Turkey is one of the Narrator's two senior copyists in "Bartleby, the Scrivener" by Herman Melville, primarily acting as a comic foil whose unpredictable behavior highlights the story's themes of work, aging, and social tolerance.
character
Key quotes · 8
“With kings and counselors.”
This cryptic phrase comes from the narrator of Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" (1853) as he contemplates Bartleby's death and burial in the Tombs prison yard.
The Narrator · Conclusion
“Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance.”
This line is spoken by the unnamed Lawyer-Narrator in Herman Melville's short story Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street (1853).
The Lawyer (Narrator)
“I am a rather elderly man.”
The unnamed narrator—a mild-mannered, older Wall Street lawyer—begins Herman Melville's 1853 short story Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street with a self-deprecating introduction.
The Narrator (unnamed Wall Street lawyer) · Opening paragraph
“I would prefer not to.”
This phrase encapsulates the essence of Bartleby, the mysterious copyist in Herman Melville's 1853 short story Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street.
Bartleby
“On errands of life, these letters speed to death.”
This haunting line is delivered by the unnamed Narrator—a Wall Street lawyer—near the end of Herman Melville's 1853 short story Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street.
The Narrator (the lawyer) · Conclusion / Final Paragraph
“I would prefer not to quit you.”
This powerfully haunting line is delivered by Bartleby, the mysterious copyist, to his employer, the unnamed Wall Street lawyer and narrator, just before the story reaches its peak.
Bartleby
“He was more a man of preferences than assumptions.”
This line is delivered by the unnamed Narrator, a mild-mannered Wall Street lawyer, as he contemplates his own character early in Herman Melville's 1853 short story Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street.
Narrator (the unnamed lawyer) · Opening section
“Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!”
These closing words are spoken by the unnamed Lawyer-narrator at the very end of Herman Melville's 1853 short story Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street.
The Lawyer (unnamed narrator) · Conclusion / final section
Symbols · 5
Dead Letters
In Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener," dead letters represent the pointless struggle of human communication and the loneliness that comes when messages fail to connect.
Food (Ginger Nuts)
In Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener," food — especially the ginger nuts that make up Bartleby's entire diet — represents his drastic withdrawal from the systems that sustain society.
The Screen
In Herman Melville's Bartleby, the Scrivener, the folding screen that the lawyer puts around Bartleby's desk highlights the strange mix of isolation and presence.
The Wall
In Herman Melville's Bartleby, the Scrivener, the wall represents the unavoidable barriers—social, existential, and psychological—that trap the human spirit.
Wall Street
In Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener," Wall Street symbolizes the dehumanizing nature of nineteenth-century capitalism.
Literary devices · 9
Frame Narrative
In "Bartleby, the Scrivener," Melville tells Bartleby's story through the retrospective lens of the unnamed lawyer-narrator, creating a frame narrative that adds its own layer of meaning.
Repetition
In Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener," repetition drives the story forward.
Tone
Melville's tone in Bartleby the Scrivener is one of the story's most unsettling aspects.
Paradox
In Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener," paradox isn't just decorative; it's fundamental to the story.
Unreliable Narrator
In Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener," the lawyer-narrator portrays himself as a fair and generous employer, but his narrative reveals significant blind spots.
Foil
In Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener," the copyists Turkey and Nippers serve as a contrasting pair to Bartleby and to each other, enhancing the reader's understanding of what makes Bartleby so unsettling.
Irony
In Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener," irony serves as the backbone of the story, highlighting the contrast between the narrator's self-perception and the reader's understanding.
Imagery
In "Bartleby the Scrivener," Melville uses vivid imagery to reflect Bartleby's psychological and existential state.
Symbolism
In Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener," the wall of the narrator's office — particularly the blank brick wall that Bartleby stares at from his desk — serves as the story's main symbol.
Vocabulary · 23
scrivener
A person employed to copy legal documents and letters by hand before the age of typewriters; a professional copyist working in a law office.
noun · Chapter 1
snug
Comfortably sheltered and well-organized; here describing a cozy, well-established professional situation.
adjective · Chapter 1
masterly
Done with great skill and confident authority, in a way that shows complete command of one's work or position.
adjective · Chapter 1
prudence
Careful, cautious good judgment that avoids unnecessary risk or conflict, especially in business or social dealings.
noun · Chapter 1
unobtrusive
Not drawing attention to oneself; quiet and inconspicuous in manner or appearance.
adjective · Chapter 1
Turkey
The nickname of one of the narrator's copyist clerks, an older man whose work deteriorates notably in the afternoons.
noun · Chapter 1
nippers
The nickname of another copyist clerk, a younger, irritable man whose nervous energy makes him grind his teeth and fidget at his desk.
noun · Chapter 1
ground-glass folding-doors
Interior partitions made of frosted or etched glass set in hinged panels, used to divide office space while still allowing some light to pass through.
noun · Chapter 1
copyist
A clerk whose job is to make exact handwritten copies of legal documents, contracts, and correspondence.
noun · Chapter 1
pallid
Unusually pale in complexion, suggesting poor health, lack of sunlight, or emotional emptiness.
adjective · Chapter 1
I would prefer not to
Bartleby's repeated, calm refusal to carry out any task asked of him; a polite but immovable expression of passive non-compliance.
phrase · Chapter 2
incubus
A heavy, oppressive burden or source of distress that weighs on someone's mind; here used to describe the narrator's growing anxiety about Bartleby.
noun · Chapter 2
ejaculated
Said something suddenly and sharply; an old-fashioned word for exclaiming something in surprise or strong emotion.
verb · Chapter 2
predestination
The theological doctrine that all events, including a person's fate, are fixed in advance by a higher power and cannot be changed by human will.
noun · Chapter 2
imprimis
A Latin legal term meaning 'in the first place' or 'first of all,' used to introduce the opening item in a formal list or statement.
adverb · Chapter 1
forlorn
Pitifully sad and abandoned, with no hope of comfort or companionship; utterly alone and desolate.
adjective · Chapter 2
cadaverous
Looking like a corpse; extremely thin, pale, and hollow-faced in a way that suggests death or severe wasting away.
adjective · Chapter 2
hermit
A person who withdraws completely from society and lives in isolation; here applied to Bartleby's reclusive refusal to leave the office.
noun · Chapter 2
Tombs
The common nickname for a New York City prison, formally called the Halls of Justice, where Bartleby is eventually confined.
noun · Chapter 3
grub-man
A person who supplies food to prisoners in a jail for payment; a private food contractor working inside the prison.
noun · Chapter 3
dead letters
Undeliverable mail that has been sent to a government office because it cannot reach its intended recipient, often containing messages that will never be read.
noun · Chapter 3
waylaid
Stopped or intercepted someone unexpectedly along their path in order to speak with or confront them.
verb · Chapter 2
inscrutable
Impossible to understand or interpret; so mysterious in expression or behavior that no one can guess what is going on inside.
adjective · Chapter 2