Feb 26 2010
Bartleby and Modernity
Bartleby and Modernity
Written in the middle of the nineteenth century, the story of Bartleby is stunning in its presaging of the alienation of urban middle class life in the twentieth century and in our own time. In the words of continental philosopher Hannah Arendt, the world inhabited by Melville’s characters is fundamentally a ‘society of job-holders.’
Turkey, Nippers, Ginger-Nut, and later Bartleby stand in as social types of this coming milieu, with their disenchantment, ‘ambition and digestion,’ and automaton qualities. Bartleby’s eccentricities are initially viewed in a positive light, as contributions. ‘His steadiness, his freedom from all dissipation, his incessant industry…his great, stillness, his unalterableness of demeanor under all circumstances, made him a valuable acquisition.’ (13) This modern efficiency is set against a backdrop of disillusion and sterility in the financial district. In a brilliant showcasing of Melville’s descriptive qualities, he remarks, ‘This building too, which of week-days hums with industry and life, at nightfall echoes with sheer vacancy, and all through Sunday is forlorn. And here Bartleby makes his home; sole spectator of a solitude which he has seen all populous—a sort of innocent and transformed Marius brooding among the ruins of Carthage!’ (14)
There are many ways of approaching this story. I read it in this particular light mostly because of the sharp focus on the corporate world in our time. More importantly, the critique of labor implied herein is still relevant as our corporate culture continues to fulfill the Arendtian ‘society of jobholders.’
One Response to “Bartleby and Modernity”
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Will, this is a spot-on analysis. Professor Friedman mentioned the parallel in class after you posted this as well and similar thoughts crossed my mind when reading the story too. You mention that it’s stunning how it presages the alienation of urban middle class life today and in the twentieth century. I wonder if the parallel stops at the twentieth century and modern times though. Sure, modernity has expanded the urban middle class, but those who aren’t bosses/owners have always been alienated from their efforts. This type of thinking goes back to Marx.
On an unrelated note, it’s clear that Nippers and Turkey have a few of their own issues to work out, which may or may not be related to the work they do. But they never remove themselves to the extreme of Bartleby. And Ginger Nut seems to do a pretty good job throughout the story. Did Melville make Bartleby lose hope just to make a point and keep things shorter? What did Bartleby have that none of the other scriveners or office-workers possessed? Was he the only one who saw things for what they really were?