Bartleby's
behavior in my opinion is a reasonable response to his circumstances because
the story limits the amount of background knowledge the reader can obtain. Part
of the reason as to why this occurs is because the story is written from the
perspective of the lawyer, which allows readers to know Bartleby through the
lens of the lawyer. This creates a biased view because the lawyer's comments
can influence how Bartleby is portrayed and limits potential variables that
contribute to his personality. For instance, it may seem irritating reading
about him because the lawyer demonstrates a frustration towards Bartleby considering
he only responds with “I would prefer not to.”
Whereas, if was written in a third person narration the story may have
not seemed one sided. “… accomplishing a great deal of work in a style not easy
to be matched – for these reasons, I was willing to overlook his
eccentricities…” is a prime example that shows that even from the beginning of
the story the narrator clearly pointed out aspects of Bartleby that make the
reader except a strange vibe.
Without
knowing anything about his past it is impossible to completely deny the
possibility that there is an explanation to his unusual behavior. Therefore, I assume
that something could have occurred to him or to a loved one that now causes him
to respond and act the way he does. Such as when Bartleby stopped eating during
his time in jail or when he spent time starring at walls is evidence that demonstrates
some psychological instability. In order to deal with this Bartleby uses the
walls as protection from people because he may be afraid that something or
someone could hurt him once again; he still maintains some, but very little,
interaction with the lawyer because he shows empathy towards that gives him a
sign of some security. Even though the lawyer demonstrates a constant worrisome
towards him it is not enough to break the wall and solitude he created. It
seems that he has no one to rely on that could be a factor that has affected
his attitude towards others such as when the lawyer offered him better food but
denied the request.
These
actions are not common in a person that is mentally stable, which helps to
conclude that there is still some trauma within him that he may not know how to
deal with. Because he was so different from the others around him it seemed
easier to pick out the difference, as did the lawyer. I feel like his
conditions are easily overlooked because the text doesn’t clearly state any
psychological issues for which it must be taken into consideration when
reflecting back to the prompt. Therefore, his circumstances are reasonable
because we don’t fully understand what may be going through his mind. Having
said so, a mental illness can cause people to act abnormal out of their own
will which is it why I believe that he has reasons to back up his
circumstances.
I like how your analysis points out that how the narrative contains bias from the lawyers viewpoint. Throughout the short story, Melville purposely shrouded Bartleby's character in a mysterious manner, giving faint hints at mental instability through his actions and the through his past in the Dead Letter Office.As you pointed out, much is not known Bartleby's character, so it may be unfair to call his actions unreasonable for his circumstances. It may also be beneficial to add that, during the mid 1800's, mental illnesses were not as emphasized nor well documented compared to modern psychology. Do you think that mental instability is still an issue today?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your position in this argument. I also agree that his behavior is reasonable due to his circumstances. One major point I enjoyed from your post was your analysis and assumption of his mental illness. You brought up this assumption made from what the Melville provided and supported it with varies content from the story. Overall, your argument of Bartleby having a mental illness was well supported and persuasive. Good job!
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