In Melville's short story "Bartleby, the Scrivener", the reader is presented with a very visual example of this growing divide. It tells the story of a successful lawyer and one of his scriveners, Bartleby. From the beginning, the two have a strained relationship marked by misunderstanding and isolation from one another. This isolation leads to the famed preference of Bartleby to not do certain tasks and results in a growing and ultimately fatal conflict between these two main protagonists.
The Industrial Revolution undoubtedly changed humanity forever and not only revolutionized the way we produce and sell goods but also reformed social structures and dismantled long-established principles of hierarchy and class. In preindustrial times, one's position in society was mostly predetermined by birth, both physically and economically. Wealth and power were almost exclusively inherited and there was practically no social mobility. However, this changed with the advent of industrialization, as there was a new rising class in society: The capitalists.
Unlike other social classes that existed until then, capitalists where not created by birth, but rather by economic success. The possibility of social mobility and that birth did, in fact, not determine your success in life, was promising for many. This promise sparked many new concepts of society and equality, one of the most famous being the term of the "American Dream". However, this idealistic imagination of capitalism was soon to be disproven, as the growing divide between the two classes, workers and capitalists, became to appear insuperable.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Relevance of Space and Separation as criticism of class divide in Herman Melville’s „Bartleby, the Scrivener“
I. Historical context
II. Space and separation as symbols for class divide
3. Conclusion
Objectives & Research Themes
This paper explores Herman Melville’s "Bartleby, the Scrivener" as a critique of the growing socio-economic divide in 19th-century America, specifically examining how the author utilizes physical and symbolic spaces to illustrate the limitations of social mobility and the consequences of class-based isolation.
- Historical influence of the Astor Place Riots on Melville's work.
- Representation of capitalist hierarchy through office topography.
- The role of "space" and "separation" (curtains, walls, doors) as metaphors for social class.
- Analysis of the power dynamics between the employer and the employee.
- The clash between a materialistic worldview and a metaphysical outlook on life.
Excerpt from the Book
One of the first and most prominent division the reader is confronted with, are the glass doors the lawyer-narrator has installed in his office to separate himself from his employees. It has been widely accepted, that these doors not only are a form of physical separation, but can also be read as an form of a social separation: The lower-class workers and scriveners are permanently separated from their upper-class employer (Marx 606). Although the fact, that they are made of glass, may give away the illusion, that said divide is transparent and that the scriveners are able to cross that divide on their own. But as is pointed out in the story, the lawyer has the sole power to decide who may cross that line by ”[throwing] open these doors“, ”according to [his] humor“ (Melville 6), even though most of the time they remain closed. In the analogy of class divide, this may be read as a representation of an illusion of social mobility, even though in reality access to the upper class is heavily restricted for members of lower classes, most often by the members of said class themselves. The restricted mobility of the lower-class characters, often caused by some higher-ranked power, is a recurring motif in the story. For example, Bartleby almost never leaves the office, ”never goes for a walk“ (Melville 15) and seems to ”have ate, dressed, and slept in [the lawyer’s] office“ (Melville 14). This behavior has been interpreted as a suggestion of the need to work long hours in order to earn a sufficient income, a struggle shared by all employees in the office (Ryan 38).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter contextualizes the shift from pre-industrial social structures to a capitalist society and introduces the research focus on "Bartleby, the Scrivener" as a criticism of the emerging class divide.
2. The Relevance of Space and Separation as criticism of class divide in Herman Melville’s „Bartleby, the Scrivener“: This section investigates how historical events like the Astor Place Riots and the symbolic use of physical boundaries in the office reinforce the narrative's critique of economic inequality.
I. Historical context: This section discusses the Astor Place Riots and the mention of John Jacob Astor to establish a link between contemporary New York socio-political tensions and the lawyer’s identity in the story.
II. Space and separation as symbols for class divide: This analysis focuses on physical barriers—such as glass doors and curtains—in the lawyer's office to demonstrate how they mirror the impossibility of genuine social mobility for the lower class.
3. Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes how the story serves as an acknowledgment of the 19th-century American class divide, highlighting that the metaphor of separation fosters misunderstandings that hinder equal coexistence.
Keywords
Herman Melville, Bartleby the Scrivener, Class Divide, Capitalism, Social Mobility, Astor Place Riots, Industrial Revolution, Space, Separation, Symbolism, Wall Street, Hierarchy, New York, Labor Struggles, Metaphysical
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines how Herman Melville’s short story "Bartleby, the Scrivener" reflects the growing divide between the upper and working classes in 19th-century America.
Which thematic fields are central to the analysis?
The central themes include social mobility, the impact of the Industrial Revolution on class structures, the symbolism of architectural space, and the clash of ideologies between capitalistic-minded employers and alienated workers.
What is the primary objective of the research?
The objective is to analyze how the author uses spatial metaphors—such as walls and office barriers—to provide a critical commentary on the rigid class structures of the time.
Which scientific approach does the author use?
The author employs a literary analysis method, incorporating historical context (e.g., the Astor Place Riots) and secondary scholarly interpretations (e.g., studies by Steven Ryan and Leo Marx).
What topics are covered in the main body of the work?
The main body examines the historical background in New York, the symbolic function of office divisions like glass doors and green curtains, and the philosophical differences between the narrator and Bartleby.
Which keywords characterize this paper?
Key terms include class divide, symbolism, social mobility, capitalism, Melville, and spatial separation.
How does the Astor Place Riot context shape the interpretation of the story?
The riots serve as an example of real-world class tensions, helping to justify the interpretation of the lawyer-narrator as a representative of the New York economic elite who fears losing status.
What does the text suggest about the possibility of social mobility for Bartleby?
The paper argues that social mobility is an illusion and that Bartleby's ultimate "metaphysical" withdrawal is a desperate, inevitable response to the systemic lack of opportunity for the working class.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Florian Reus (Autor:in), 2018, Criticism of Class Divide. "Bartleby, The Scrivener" by Herman Melville, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1348474
