I Would Prefer Not To

"Batleby, the Scrivener" by Herman Melville

Immediately upon introduction, Bartleby sets himself apart from the narrator's other copyists.  He displays a mild manner, works extraordinarily quickly, and rarely pauses to take a break from his copying.  Observing these traits, the narrator believes Bartleby to be the best assistant he has ever hired, but that belief soon changes.  In addition to Bartleby's many positive characteristics, he also possesses an inhuman, almost mechanical air about him, he displays absolutely no emotion, and he frequently refuses to do anything but copy documents.  The latter of these negative traits is the most troubling to the narrator, as each time he requests a simple, reasonable task of Bartleby, the scrivener responds, "I would prefer not to," (Melville 649).  The consistent mild-mannered repetition of this phrase throughout the story characterizes Bartleby as the quintessence of apathy.  In response to Bartleby's recurring, emotionless refusals, the narrator bounces back and forth between caring, sympathetic friend to indignant, frustrated boss resolved to eviction.  These emotional shifts toward Bartleby also affects how the audience views Bartleby.  When the narrator sympathizes with Bartleby's alienation and lonesome existence, he calls the audience to do the same.  In contrast, when the narrator sees Bartleby as a stubborn, hard-headed employee defiant of authority, he influences the audience's perception to match his.  It is not until after Bartleby dies in a prison so adequately named "The Tombs" that any true deduction can be made of why Bartleby is the way he is (Melville 672).  After Bartleby's death, the narrator shares that he used to be a "subordinate clerk in the Dead Letter Office at Washington" where he destroyed letters, packages, and gifts that could not be delivered because their intended recipients died prematurely.  Thus, Bartleby had been constantly surrounded by sentimental gifts ruined by the power of death.  As such, Bartleby failed to see the merit in sentimentality anymore and became the eerily mild-mannered Bartleby employed by the narrator.  He resolved himself to a life of isolation and alienation from all other people so that he could avoid the possibility of pain that comes with emotion.