Bartleby (Pgs. 30 to 44)

Summary:

In this last portion of my reading the lawyer had been assuming that Bartleby was going to leave, however, his main concern was whether he would have left because he wanted to or not. The lawyer walks around Downtown and overhears people betting on whether someone is "gone" or not, and the lawyer thinking about Bartleby bet that he was gone. He had over-thought that it was election day and the people were discussing canditates' successes in campaigns. He decides to go back to his office to check and see if Bartleby was indeed still there, or if his chair would still be empty. Not surprisingly enough, when he looked for the office door key under the mat, it wasn't there. He hit his knee against a panel and from inside he heard a voice say "not yet." It was Bartleby, he was till in there. The lawyer proceeds by going in and telling Bartleby how disappointing he was and how a hint of his presence would have sufficed.

Quote:

"“Will you, or will you not, quit me?” I now demanded
in a sudden passion, advancing close to him.
“I would prefer not to quit you,” he replied, gently
emphasizing the not.
“What earthly right have you to stay here? Do
you pay any rent? Do you pay my taxes? Or is this
property yours?”
He answered nothing.
“Are you ready to go on and write now? Are your
eyes recovered? Could you copy a small paper for
me this morning? or help examine a few lines? or
step round to the Post Office? In a word, will you
do anything at all to give a coloring to your refusal
to depart the premises?”
He silently retired into his hermitage" (Melville 32).

Reaction:

I chose this excerpt because it exercises the main theme of the novella Bartleby, the Scrivener. The lawyer seems to step up his authority when he "demands" answers from Bartleby. This change in character does nothing to Bartleby's 'preferences'. For example, when the lawyer wasn't being so aggressive in the earlier instances when Bartleby was refusing to do what he was told. This only goes to show that Bartleby is persistent in staying adamant about disobeying the lawyer.