Bartleby's Stubborn Ways

Bartleby is about a lawyer and his clerks.  They all have their quarks, but none with as many Bartleby.  Here is a passage from the story that was set apart in my mind, 

"But when this old Adam of resentment rose in me and tempted me concerning Bartleby, I grappled him and threw him. How? Why, simply by recalling the divine injunction: “A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another.” Yes, this it was that saved me. Aside from higher considerations, charity often operates as a vastly wise and prudent principle—a great safeguard to its possessor. Men have committed murder for jealousy’s sake, and anger’s sake, and hatred’s sake, and selfishness’ sake, and spiritual pride’s sake; but no man that ever I heard of, ever committed a diabolical murder for sweet charity’s sake. Mere self-interest, then, if no better motive can be enlisted, should, especially with high-tempered men, prompt all beings to charity and philanthropy. At any rate, upon the occasion in question, I strove to drown my exasperated feelings towards the scrivener by benevolently construing his conduct.

 Poor fellow, poor fellow! thought I, he don’t mean any thing; and besides, he has seen hard times, and ought to be indulged"(Melville).

The narrator in the story is having a moral dilemma, concerning a clerk named Bartleby. He has over stayed his welcome at the office.  Bartleby is living there paying no rent and providing no work in exchange for the living situation.  Does one throw the offending gentleman out on the street?  Most would say yes; I will throw a person that is mooching off me and my business out on the street. 

The narrator is wrestling with doing the right thing, which just might be killing him.  Love thy neighbor, is the phrase that saved Bartleby. This thought process really comes from the narrator being so fed up with the worthlessness and stubbornness of Bartleby.  He is convinced, by Bartleby's actions, that he doesn't deserve to live. If only the narrator wasn't Christian, this tale would end up being a bloody horror story.  Steven King could have written a screen play worthy of Hollywood attention.  

The feeling passes and the narrator down grades the wrath to rationalization and pity. This is true human values, judging other people's actions, then coddling them with your pity.  Bartleby's indifference to work and responsibly are something that should have been dealt with earlier.  This whole moral dilemma could have been avoided if the narrator would have been more forceful from the beginning.  If you give a person and inch, they'll take a mile.  Bartleby knew that the narrator wouldn't act quickly so he abused the situation. He finally had to take more drastic measures for the situation to be resolved, that could have been taken care of earlier by more direct interactions. 

      Melville, Herman. "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street." Bartleby. N.p., 2011. Web. 19 Feb 2012. <http://www.bartleby.com/129/>.  

Image taken from:http://www.halloween24.com/party-supplies/decorations/man-with-knife-shower-curtain-with-sound.html