Allusions in Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville Essay

In â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† the author, Herman Melville, uses indirect references to hint to many historical, literary, and biblical events. â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† contains many allusions about important events that help connect this fictional story to actual events in Melville’s time period, before, and beyond. Melville uses allusions frequently throughout â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† to help build connections with the real world and the fictitious world of this short story. One of the biggest allusions in â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† is the comparison of Bartleby to Jesus. In the story the narrator is confronted by the new owner of the law offices. He asks the narrator if he knows who Bartleby is. The narrator replies with â€Å"I certainly†¦show more content†¦He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb. Then he went away† (NIV, Matthew 27:60). Cicero, a very successful Roman politician, also plays a very significant role in the story of â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener†. The narrator has a bust of Cicero in his office connecting the two cultures; the Western and Eastern cultures however are strikingly different. At around 100 B.C. Cicero led the Roman Empire in a very structured and civilized way. The Roman Empire’s governmental structure is very similar to the United Stated government because they both include three branches. The Judiciary, the Executive, and the Legislative branches are included in both civilizations; however the Roman’s devised this system more than 2,000 years before the United States. They also both have elected officials who are either elected or are appointed by the Consuls. The Roman Government was very orderly and organized, the exact opposite of how it was in Bartleby’s office. This small detail in the story creates more contrast and helps us better understand the changes that can happen in such a short amount of time. The law office was a very orderly place, it just takes one person to throw any well oiled system off balance. The inclusions of these allusions are very subtle and are not always obvious, however Melville took the time to add these into the story to further build connections with the story world and the real world to make the storyShow MoreRelatedThe Theme Of Herman MelvillesBartleby, The Scrivener1084 Words   |  5 PagesHerman Melville’s short story â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† reveals different themes such as isolation and human morality test. In the story, the narrator runs a law firm and has a new Scrivener [Bartleby] who the narrator describes asâ€Å" the strangest I ever saw or heard of† (661). For the first few days, Bartleby is seen to be working fine, however, one day Bartleby just responds with â€Å"I would prefer not to† when anyone assigns a task to Bartleby (674). The real problems start to arise when BartlebyRead More Comparing Religious Archetypes in Moby Dick, Billy Budd, and Bartleby the Scrivener2226 Words   |  9 PagesReligious Archetypes in Moby Dick, Billy Budd, and Bartleby the Scrivener        Ã‚   Herman Melvilles use of Biblical overtones gives extra dimensions to his works.   Themes in his stories parallel those in the Bible to teach about good and evil.   Melville emphasizes his characters qualities by drawing allusions, and in doing so makes them appear larger than life.   In the same way that the Bible teaches lessons about life, Herman Melvilles stories teach lessons about the light and dark sidesRead MoreEssay on Bartleby the Scrivener1515 Words   |  7 PagesIn Herman Melville’s â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener†, a story of â€Å"the strangest† law-copyist the narrator, a lawyer, has ever employed is told. The narrator experiences conflict with Bartleby when he â€Å"prefers not to† examine some law papers. Once Bartleby â€Å"prefers not to† once, he continues to repeat the statement on all request asked of him. This statement sends Bartleby into a state of tranquility, staying isolated in the cubical and refusing all as sistance by any means. This state results in him going