A conversation about American literature past and present.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Bartleby's Motivation
Why does Bartleby always "prefer not to"? Why does he begin by working and engaging in some activity and gradually become completely passive and inactive? Is he angry at the narrator for leaving him?
Bartleby previously worked in Dead Letter Office. I think because he was surrounded by useless pieces of mail, he developed a pointless way in life. I think his work in the office "trained" him to find no value in his work, therefore no reason to do it. Everyday he dealt with unwanted pieces of information, so was there any point in creating it in the first place? I think his passiveness stems from this work. I think he always "prefers not to" because his preference really was just to not do any work because it wouldn't end up anywhere. There was no point in it. Also, I don't think he was angry at the narrator because he really did not ever show real emotion. Yes he started to actually talk and use phrases different from "prefer not to", but he was just a depressed, sorrowful character. The narrator gave him a chance at this job, and it is Bartleby's fault that he did not take advantage of it.
(Brianna) I think Bartelby always "prefers not to" because he has found that he can get away without doing his work as long as he doesn't argue. I think he starts out working and engaging in some activity because it is something new to do. He gradually becomes completely passive and does not do anything because he gets bored with the work he is doing and no longer feels like preforming his duties. He starts to test the limits with the Boss in the first few weeks when he says that he prefers not to review the document he has re-written which is part of his job description. The Boss is really too stunned to react properly to Bartelby's annoyingly passive response so he lets it slide. As Bartleby finds that he can "prefer not to" carry out certain tasks, he starts to work less and less until his progress is at a complete standstill and the Boss does nothing to reprimand him. I do not think that he is angry at the narrator (the Boss) for leaving him. I think that he wanted to be left alone from the very beginning. Furthermore I do not think he is capable of feeling any emotion, much less anger.
Estrellapez-- I think you have an important insight into the "meaninglessness" of B's work. The narrator himself starts out by discussing how dull his work is and he (unlike Bartleby perhaps) prefers it that way. Is this "meaninglessness" a modern phenomenon? Is our work more meaningless than in centuries past? It's certainly more removed from the basics of survival (we don't have to hunt for food or adapt to the elements as people once did)!
estrellapez: I do agree with everyhting you said. The Dead Letter office definately killed something inside of Bartleby which affected his work for the narrator. Since he basically had no work ethic or motivation in the Dead letter office he also had no motivation to copy or check over legal documents. I do agree that he was not angry at the narrator, he was just dead to the world basically once again as a result of his slow emotional death that must have resulted from his work with dead letters.
Esrellapez, I agree with what you are saying. Since Bartelyby worked in the Dead Letter Office, he worked with useless pieces of mail as you stated. I think this helped set up the way his personality is. I also agree with you when you said that he "prefers not to" becuase the work would not end up anywhere just as the letters in the Dead Letter Office. I think you have a good idea of why Bartleby is the way he is. You are very good at analyzing things, good job.
Estrellapez: I think Bartleby working at the Dead Letters Office, deffinately changed something inside him for the worse, but we don't know what he was like before. He could have been passive before he worked at the Dead Letters Office, maybe thats just the type of person he is. I also agree that it is his fault he did not take advantage of the job opertunity that the lawyer gave him. The lawyer put up with him more than anyone and Bartleby couldnt even do his job for him in return.
6 comments:
Bartleby previously worked in Dead Letter Office. I think because he was surrounded by useless pieces of mail, he developed a pointless way in life. I think his work in the office "trained" him to find no value in his work, therefore no reason to do it. Everyday he dealt with unwanted pieces of information, so was there any point in creating it in the first place? I think his passiveness stems from this work. I think he always "prefers not to" because his preference really was just to not do any work because it wouldn't end up anywhere. There was no point in it. Also, I don't think he was angry at the narrator because he really did not ever show real emotion. Yes he started to actually talk and use phrases different from "prefer not to", but he was just a depressed, sorrowful character. The narrator gave him a chance at this job, and it is Bartleby's fault that he did not take advantage of it.
(Brianna) I think Bartelby always "prefers not to" because he has found that he can get away without doing his work as long as he doesn't argue. I think he starts out working and engaging in some activity because it is something new to do. He gradually becomes completely passive and does not do anything because he gets bored with the work he is doing and no longer feels like preforming his duties. He starts to test the limits with the Boss in the first few weeks when he says that he prefers not to review the document he has re-written which is part of his job description. The Boss is really too stunned to react properly to Bartelby's annoyingly passive response so he lets it slide. As Bartleby finds that he can "prefer not to" carry out certain tasks, he starts to work less and less until his progress is at a complete standstill and the Boss does nothing to reprimand him. I do not think that he is angry at the narrator (the Boss) for leaving him. I think that he wanted to be left alone from the very beginning. Furthermore I do not think he is capable of feeling any emotion, much less anger.
Estrellapez-- I think you have an important insight into the "meaninglessness" of B's work. The narrator himself starts out by discussing how dull his work is and he (unlike Bartleby perhaps) prefers it that way. Is this "meaninglessness" a modern phenomenon? Is our work more meaningless than in centuries past? It's certainly more removed from the basics of survival (we don't have to hunt for food or adapt to the elements as people once did)!
estrellapez:
I do agree with everyhting you said. The Dead Letter office definately killed something inside of Bartleby which affected his work for the narrator. Since he basically had no work ethic or motivation in the Dead letter office he also had no motivation to copy or check over legal documents. I do agree that he was not angry at the narrator, he was just dead to the world basically once again as a result of his slow emotional death that must have resulted from his work with dead letters.
Esrellapez,
I agree with what you are saying. Since Bartelyby worked in the Dead Letter Office, he worked with useless pieces of mail as you stated. I think this helped set up the way his personality is. I also agree with you when you said that he "prefers not to" becuase the work would not end up anywhere just as the letters in the Dead Letter Office. I think you have a good idea of why Bartleby is the way he is. You are very good at analyzing things, good job.
Estrellapez:
I think Bartleby working at the Dead Letters Office, deffinately changed something inside him for the worse, but we don't know what he was like before. He could have been passive before he worked at the Dead Letters Office, maybe thats just the type of person he is. I also agree that it is his fault he did not take advantage of the job opertunity that the lawyer gave him. The lawyer put up with him more than anyone and Bartleby couldnt even do his job for him in return.
Post a Comment