How Does Bartleby The Scrivener Relate To Romanticism

Throughout history, there have often been great hardships associated with the economic status of the working man. Romanticism emerged in the late 1700s as a retort to the Enlightenment, considering the experience of the individual to be more important than the attempt to discover new values. Corrupted by society, individuals in romanticism often search to find reason or truth for their existence. Contrastingly, Modernism emerged in the early 1900s as a response to the romantic period’s ideals and the development of capitalism. While romantic stories valued imagination and creativity, modernist stories described the common, everyday experiences of man, most often the middle class. By adhering to the literary elements of their respective time
For a period of time after being hired by the narrator, Bartleby does his work quickly and with great accuracy. However, after a while, Bartleby’s work ethic begins to falter, soon becoming obsolete altogether. When asked to do tasks required of him, Bartleby merely replies with five words: “I would prefer not to” (Melville #). Through this, Bartleby seems to have lost purpose or meaning. He does not appear to be disobedient to spite his superiors or defy others’ expectations, but too tired to deal with what society has given him. The narrator soon discovers Bartleby has not left the office in weeks. Through this revelation, Melville perhaps not only illustrates what detrimental consequences depression can have, but how a person might reach that state in the first place. Bartleby may be staying in the office because he does not have the vitality to leave, but he also may be staying because he cannot afford to leave. It should be noted that the narrator even states early in the story that he does not pay his employees as well as he should. Not only is Bartleby stuck in meaningless, tedious employment, he also is not receiving enough to live upon. Shortly before the end of the story, Bartleby quits eating, as even that is too much for him. There is no point in nourishing his body or attempting to keep it alive, as he is only on earth to provide labor that only benefit those above him. Although the narrator attempts to understand and help him throughout the story, there is disconnect as he does not understand why Bartleby is acting this way. It is only after Bartleby’s death from starvation that the narrator can understand, stating “…I might give alms to his body; but his body did not pain him; it was his soul that suffered, and his soul I could not reach.” (Melville