Blog #1, topic 2.

Bartleby must be crazy. That’s what I felt when I read his classical response(“I would prefer not to”) to his boss for ten or more times. Every time when his boss asks him to check the documents he copied, he refuses without any specific reason. According to the quote, “Poor fellow! thought I, he means no mischief; it is plain he intends no insolence... ”, Bartleby doesn’t have any hatred or malicious resistance toward his boss, because he always replied so mildly and gentlemanly. He resists simply because he doesn’t want to do the work.

In fact, such resistant behaviors can be called brave. We can see why by analyzing the environment Bartleby works in. The office he works in is surrounded by shady brick walls, which represents the lack of freedom and choices. The job to be a scrivener also means the loss of creativity and freedom. Bartleby’s colleagues are very special. I noticed one common trait among them: there is certain pattern of regularity rooted in their daily lives. For example, Turkey gets more and more blazed and hot-tempered after twelve o’clock everyday. Nipper gets brandy-like dispositions before twelve o’clock everyday. Everything is predictable and follows their presumed assumptions as their boss expected. It is not a place for human beings to work and enjoy; rather it’s perfect for machines to produce. However, are we machines? should we follow the routines and assumptions without thinking if we like it or not? Bartleby’s answer is no. Mine as well.

Despite of the strange willfulness of Bartleby, the most surprised thing is that he suddenly decides to give up writing. He frustrates his boss and us again, but at the same time, he himself is also frustrated by the reality. “I remembered that he never spoke but to answer; that though at intervals he had considerable time to himself, yet I had never seen him reading—no, not even a newspaper; that for long periods he would stand looking out, at his pale window behind the screen, upon the dead brick wall”. For Bartleby, the most important thing is to stare at the dead brick wall. How boring and meaningless his life is! He could have lived a little happier and easier like anyone else in the office, but he chose not to. We don’t know the reason why until he died in the Tombs and some rumor about him went out. Before coming to Wall street, Bartleby worked in the Dead Letter Office. Imagine that he desperately left those dead letters away and found a new job in Wall street. However, unfortunately, he found another soul-killing job. So he looks out at the dead brick wall for days and nights, wondering what is the meaning of living a life without freedom or choices. Finally, he gives up writing and finds out life is meaningless. After all, we are all blocked by the invisible “wall” that made us live like a machine.

After reading this article, I doubt myself that if I can be as crazy as Bartleby. He is so desperate yet brave, as the narrator said, “like the last column of some ruined temple”. I wish the ruined temple would remain, even though the last column fell at the end of the story.  Our last hope to break the invisible wall may now rest in the ruined temple stubbornly, just like Bartleby.