The Creation of Balance
In a story a writer always places characters within the story for a reason, and Herman Melville is not an exception. In Melville’s short story, “Bartleby, the Scrivener, A Story of Wall Street,” Bartleby, the unique scrivener seems to be main character of the story. However, there are two other scriveners who are very crucial to the story. The story deals with the conflict between a lawyer, with no name, and his scrivener who suddenly refuses to carry on with his duties. Throughout the conflict the lawyer’s other other two scriveners are standing by his side. All of Melville’s characters have a purpose in this story's criticism of society. Even the twelve year old character, Ginger nut is important because although he only delivers ginger, some critics state that what he is delivering represents something similar to medicine. Perhaps that is why Bartleby was still able to survive when he did not eat anything but ginger nut. Just as Ginger Nut plays an important role in the story so do Nippers and Turkey. The other two scriveners, Nippers and Turkey, are crucial in the story because they are the lawyers conscience and make a good contrast compared to Bartleby.
Turkey and Nippers were the first main scriveners the lawyer had and even though they required a lot of accommodations the lawyer decides to keeps them. He keeps them because they are useful to him because "When Nippers’ was on, Turkey’s was off; and vice versa. This was a good natural arrangement under the circumstances" (Melville 22). Turkey and nippers completed each other. The lawyer knows that Turkey starts acting moody after noon but he is willing to work him by giving him less important papers. He sympathizes with his workers. The lawyer is a very complex character, he “is an apostle of reason. His outlook on life is clear, unambiguous, and uncluttered by mysticism or imagination. Reason and common sense are his deities, and he looks upon them as infallible guides to human conduct” (Gupta). Until, he meets Bartleby and then he needs help and more insight from other people because Bartleby open a whole new world for him because everything that related to Bartleby was not common.
Nippers and Turkey serve as a comparison with Bartleby. They get introduced before Bartleby even though he is the main character. By introducing them first Melville's shows that the lawyer has dealt with difficult people and the lawyer accommodates with them. However, he never had to deal with someone as unique as Bartleby. One can see that “In a passage that foreshadows his inability to comprehend Bartleby, the lawyer describes his other employees as mere caricatures. Quite simply, the lawyer finds himself incapable of seeing his workers in any more depth" (Wilson).When he hired Bartleby he thought Bartleby “might operate beneficially upon the flighty temper of Turkey, and the fiery one of Nippers." He thought Bartleby was different that he would bring balance to his office. One could see the big changes the lawyer has to go through with dealing with Bartleby. In dealing with a problem similar to this “With any other man [he] should have flown outright into a dreadful passion, scorned all further words, and thrust him ignominiously from [his] presence. But there was something about Bartleby that not only strangely disarmed [him]. . .” (Melville 31) .
Nippers and Turkey serve for the lawyer as his conscience because he uses them to justify his actions. When dealing with Bartleby he had a lot of questions and concerns he always found himself asking “What shall I do? I now said to myself, buttoning up my coat to the last button. What shall I do? what ought I to do? what does conscience say I should do with this man, or rather ghost” (Melville 35). They both are loyal to the lawyer move with him when he moves. They should sympathize with Bartleby because they are all scriveners but they seem to sympathize more with the lawyer.
The reason, why the lawyer did not have a name might be because he is represented by Turkey and Nippers. He is always asking for their opinions on what to do especially concerning Bartleby. In a way Turkey and Nippers together represent the narrator at the beginning and towards the end he starts to resemble qualities he gain from Bartleby and the journey he took on with dealing with him. In many of Melville’s story is very common to have a double similar characters. Some of Melville’s critics state that ". . . Bartleby is a psychological double for the story's nameless lawyer-narrator, and that the story's criticism of a sterile and impersonal society can best be clarified by investigation of this role" (Mordecai).
Works Cited
Gupta, R. K. "'Bartleby': Melville's Critique of Reason." Indian Journal of American Studies 4.1-2 (1974): 66-71. Literature Resource Center. Web. 20 Apr 2012.
Melville, Herman. “Bartleby, the Scrivener, A Story of Wall Street.” Literature: A Portable Anthology. Janet E. Gardner, Beverly Lawn, Jack Ridl, Peter Schakel. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. 20-50. Print.
Mordecai, Marcus. "Melville's 'Bartleby' as Psychological Double." College English 23.5 (Feb. 1962): 365-368. Literature ResourceCenter. Web. 21 Apr. 2012.
Wilson, James C. "'Bartleby': The Walls of Wall Street." Arizona Quarterly 37.4 (Winter 1981): 335-346. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.
