Have a Little Pity

"Bartleby the Scrivener"
Herman Melville

In "Bartleby the Scrivener," the narrator invokes pathos in his audience through the focus on the main character of the story. Progressively presenting more and more characteristics of Bartleby, Melville develops a similarly growing feeling of sympathy within the reader. He is first presented to the audience after he is hired to help fulfill the extra work that the Lawyer has accumulated. Bartleby is hardworking and works routinely to soon become the most efficient scrivener in the office. However, a stark contrast arises in his character when he first says "I would prefer not to" and fails to give a reason (Melville, 648). His repetition of the phrase throughout the story calls into question his motivation behind the saying.

The combination of this repetition paired with his strict schedule made me question whether or not Bartleby might be autistic. I also thought that his living in the office might suggest that he is homeless. These attributes all contribute to the reader's pity toward the character, but only to a certain extent. Eventually, Melville presented so much sympathetic presentations of Bartleby that I began to lose interest in his dealing. It became very redundant almost to emphasize the feelings of the Lawyer toward his scrivener. "So true it is, and so terrible too, that up to a certain point the thought or sight of misery enlists our best affections; but in certain special cases, beyond that point, it does not," (Melville, 658).