Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville

Throughout Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville, the speaker goes into great detail about every character and scene. The speaker allows the reader to understand the personalities of each character because of how in depth his details go. When characterizing Bartleby, the speaker states, "The passiveness of Bartleby sometimes irritated me" (Melville, 653). I believe the word "passive" describes Bartleby's character perfectly. Bartleby avoids any form of contact with the outside world by refusing to do anything, but refuses with such respect and innocence that there is nothing one can do about it. Bartleby is a static character because he does not change at all during the story. This means that Bartleby is passive the entire time, which causes frustration due to the speaker pitying Bartleby. Throughout this characterization of Bartleby, the reader may get a sense of how awkward Bartleby acts. The speakers true thoughts and feelings allow the reader to create a mental image of this strange and unique character.