I would prefer not to....

The safeness of the narrator's conformity and living within the confines of an easy way of life becomes shattered when he hires Bartleby. The character of Bartleby gives us insight to the meaning of despair when we chose to conform in order to feel "safe. He is described as "a motionless young man", pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, incurably forlon!" Each positive attribute-young, neat, and respectable is preceded by a negative connotation. We can see the analysis being drawn that all our good characteristics will be negated by yielding to the crowd. Bartleby seems to become the mirror image of our narrator's inner self. It is perhaps of this unconscious realization, that the narrator strives to become Bartleby's savior. This is evident when the narrator states, "The bond of common humanity now drew me irresistibly to gloom. A fraternal melancholy! For both I and Bartleby were sons of Adam." How many times have you found yourself attracted to someone without understanding why-this person is not like anyone you would normally befriend, but yet there is a connection?

As stated earlier, Melville's contemporary, Emerson, implored his readers not to live as others would dictate, nor to live for materialism, praise or status. We see Melville's agreement with Emerson as we see the narrator begin to go out of his way to help Bartleby. As we move through the story, we see an urgency in the narrator to save Bartleby. Is this because if the narrator saves Bartleby, then he will be saved from the despair which isolation of humanity can bring?

I started this post with "I would prefer not to". It is this simple and honest statement spoken by Bartleby that intrigues our narrator to know more of this gentlemen. How would you react to someone telling you "I would prefer not to", every time a task needed to be done? Would you rant? Or would the sincere and calm tone, as Bartleby uses, allow you to excuse this type of behavior?

The ending line used by the narrator "Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!" is not one we would expect from a person who declares from the onset that he is one who lives in the cool tranquility of a snug retreat. I have to ask all that read this or better yet, the story itself: What in your life keeps you from reaching out to life? Do you keep yourself "safe" within your own private circle of friends and friends? Have you ever had a "Bartleby" enter your life? How did it affect you? How did it change you? If not - how would you imagine a "Bartleby" would affect you?