Bartleby is a Satire
In “Bartleby the Scrivener,” Melville uses examples of individualism and simplicity to explain how this short story it is a satire and to ridicule and criticize the Transcendentalist lifestyle.
Bartleby started to live alone and refrain from external conversations and interactions, he seemed to like being by himself which is similar to Thoreau’s attitude during his life.
An example of this is when the narrator came to the store one morning and realized that “Bartleby ha[d] take[n] up quarters in the office…spending days and nights there, eating and sleeping there…” (Oliver 69).
Melville gets a laugh out of this bizarre behavior and helps to explain the fact that Bartleby was a squatter and individualist who cared more about his thoughts than the world around him.
When Oliver compares Thoreau and Bartleby’s behavior he presents good evidence that they had simplified their life to the extend of not eating.
An example of this is when Bartleby was sent to jail (much like Thoreau) and replied to the grub-man “I prefer not to dine today” (Melville 40).
Melville makes fun of this scene because it is absolutely ridiculous that Bartleby and Thoreau both lacked personal up keep and did not see the importance of nutrition.
Therefore, through Oliver’s analysis we can now understand that Bartleby is a satire because of Melville’s criticism of Thoreau and the Transcendentalist lifestyle.
In “Bartleby the Scrivener,” Melville uses examples of individualism and simplicity to explain how this short story it is a satire and to ridicule and criticize the Transcendentalist lifestyle.
Bartleby started to live alone and refrain from external conversations and interactions, he seemed to like being by himself which is similar to Thoreau’s attitude during his life.
An example of this is when the narrator came to the store one morning and realized that “Bartleby ha[d] take[n] up quarters in the office…spending days and nights there, eating and sleeping there…” (Oliver 69).
Melville gets a laugh out of this bizarre behavior and helps to explain the fact that Bartleby was a squatter and individualist who cared more about his thoughts than the world around him.
When Oliver compares Thoreau and Bartleby’s behavior he presents good evidence that they had simplified their life to the extend of not eating.
An example of this is when Bartleby was sent to jail (much like Thoreau) and replied to the grub-man “I prefer not to dine today” (Melville 40).
Melville makes fun of this scene because it is absolutely ridiculous that Bartleby and Thoreau both lacked personal up keep and did not see the importance of nutrition.
Therefore, through Oliver’s analysis we can now understand that Bartleby is a satire because of Melville’s criticism of Thoreau and the Transcendentalist lifestyle.
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