Before this selection, I had never read anything by Melville. I really, really enjoyed this selection, however. I was a little frustrated with the fact that we never really learn who Bartleby is, outside of working in the Dead Letters office, but the more I thought about it the more I began to appreciate that.
Though the title of the story is "Bartleby" I believe it is more of a story about the narrator. Bartleby comes to work for him and is, at first, a great worker. But as time progresses, he "prefers" not to do his work anymore and ends up being an extra load in the office. It seems like Bartleby's personality reflects the narrator.
It almost seems as though the narrator sees things in Bartleby that portrays elements of his own personality. The reflection of the narrator's personality in Bartleby only seems to add to the Narrators kindness. The narrator willingly takes care of Bartleby because they both are alone. Really, I feel like this is a story of loneliness, just as much as it seems to be a story about the Industrial Revolution. Or, maybe it is a story about the loneliness that comes from the Industrial Revolution.
It is sad to hear that Melville didn't feel like he could write as much philosophically because of its lack of success. He seems like the kind of grandfatherly figure you could sit with all afternoon listening to stories about great adventures in times gone past, while still having great wisdom and a sort of philosophical air about him.
Someday, I swear, I will conquer Moby Dick.
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