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Joseph Kim
Cultural Foundations III
Professor Meruane
26 February 2013
Midterm Essay
In The Rebel, Albert Camus talks about the concept of labor and the individual as a rebel.
As an individual, the rebel experiences a new sense of self-awareness and that transforms into a
collective movement. Similarly, in Bartleby The Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street by Herman
Melville, the main character Bartleby undergoes such a rebellion by proclaiming, I would prefer
not to when faced with a command from his boss. More specifically, Bartlebys rebellion can be
read as an expression of labor unrest since he embodies the classic Industrial Revolution worker.
The narrator of the story is the head of a law firm and Bartleby is one of his new
scriveners who works along with Turkey and Nippers. When the narrator first introduces
Bartleby, he comes off as a very sedated and almost alienated person, His steadiness, his
freedom from all dissipation, his incessant industry (except when he chose to throw himself into
a standing revery behind his screen), his great stillness, his alterableness of demeanor under all
circumstances, made him a valuable acquisition (Melville 80). This description is very
characteristic of a lower class worker during the Industrial Revolution. His job as a scrivener
required him to do very tedious and mundane work which can heavily bear down on a persons
mind. The narrator himself acknowledges this aspect of the job, It is a very dull, wearisome, and
lethargic affair. I can readily imagine that, to some sanguine temperaments, it would be
altogether intolerable (Melville 75). It is also important the tone with which the narrator speaks
when describing Bartleby. By calling Bartleby an acquisition, the narrator sees him merely as
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a commodity, a form of labor rather than a human. This personifies the division between workers
and business owners of the Industrial Revolution. Those in power saw their workers only as a
source of labor and disregarded their lives as humans by underpaying, overworking, and abusing
the people.
As time goes on though, Bartleby undergoes a change when one day he refuses the
narrators request to examine a document by replying with what would later become his
signature retort, I would prefer not to. This act of defiance can be seen as Camuss concept of
rebellion. In part one of The Rebel, Camus states that, In every act of rebellion, the rebel
simultaneously experiences a feeling of revulsion at the infringement of his rights and complete
and spontaneous loyalty to certain aspects of himself (Camus 13-14). Similarily, Bartleby no
longer wishes to be controlled under the reins of his employer and wishes to follow his own
preferences, which in this case is to not do the work. This rebellion continues throughout the
story as Bartleby keeps on denying the narrator even when he tries to aid Bartleby after he is no
longer working for him. By refusing to even accept aid from the narrator, Bartleby makes a point
of rebelling against authority and those in power thus symbolizing labor unrest.
Up until this point, Bartleby compromised his own will by working for the narrator and at
his previous position as a subordinate clerk in the Dead Letter Office at Washington. This fits
with Camuss definition of rebel, Having up to now been willing to compromise, the slave
suddenly adopts (because this is how it must be) an attitude of All or Nothing (Camus 15).
After his initial refusal, Bartleby never again listened to the narrator, which embodies the all or
nothing attitude. He manifested this attitude so vehemently that he starved himself by refusing
to accept the food given by the narrator. Camus elaborates on this mindset by saying, If the
individual, in fact, accepts death and happens to die as a consequence of his act of rebellion, he
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demonstrates by doing so that he is wiling to sacrifice himself for the sake of a common good
which he considers more important than his own destiny (Camus 15). Bartleby demonstrated
this selflessness when he starved himself and that shows the collective aspect of labor unrest.
When the narrator hears of Bartlebys death, the story ends with him exclaiming, Ah,
Bartleby! Ah, humanity! This final line shows the narrators realization and lament of
Bartlebys view of life and in a way Bartlebys death tugged at the narrators heartstrings. This
realization by the narrator can be very much seen as the progress of Bartlebys rebellion.
Initially, the narrator comes off as a wealthy upper-class who shows little respect for his
employees. By calling his scriveners Turkey and Nippers he almost denies the fact that they
are human by giving them such absurd nicknames. He also points out the faults in his workers,
showing that he holds himself in higher regards due to his position. But after Bartleby shows his
defiance, the narrator is drawn to this interesting display of rebellion and continues to come to
Bartleby even after he no longer works for the narrator. The narrators final cry at the end shows
his regret for Bartlebys life and the progress created by Bartlebys rebellion. The narrator, a
symbol of the power of the Industrial Revolution is faced with a change of heart after witnessing
the life and working conditions of his employee and that shows a rebellion and the revolution
that follows in a micro sense.
The role of the reader of this story also plays an important role in the interpretation of
Bartlebys actions. The lawyer comes off as a reliable narrator since he seems to give a very
unbiased view and observation of what occurs. In other words, he describes what he sees as it is
given. He even tells the reader that, All who know me, consider me an eminently safe man
(Melville 70). By using this type of narrator, Melville makes the reader feel more connected with
the narrator since he comes off as a rather normal person. Melvilles description of Bartleby also
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depicts a very unusual and absurd person making it more difficult for the reader to relate with
Bartleby. By doing so, Melville is able to bring the picture of labor unrest and rebellion much
clearer to the reader. By being connected with the narrator, the reader is able to feel and witness
the tragedy of Bartlebys death just as the narrator did and that in turn invokes a sense of pity for
Bartleby and other lower class workers situation.
Throughout the story, Melville uses Bartleby as a symbol of the rebel and more
specifically a rebel that is part of the labor unrest. This idea of the rebel also seems to derive
from Camuss concept of rebellion since it shows the simultaneous act of loyalty to one self and
rejection to the oppressor. The story also encompassed the All or Nothing attitude of the rebel
which is shown through Bartlebys death. Being written during the time of the Industrial
Revolution, Bartleby The Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street seems to show Melvilles frustration
with society and reflects the situation of labor unions during his time.