Fellings Toward Bartleby

In Bartleby, the narrator is a simple character who likes his life plain and orderly, but Bartleby, as complex as he is, comes into the narrator’s life and disrupts the orderly process that takes place at the law firm. Readers may look at Bartleby from their own perspectives and make their own judgments about him, but the story is told to readers by a character-narrator; therefore, readers are looking at Bartleby from the narrator’s point of view. Melville effectively develops the narrator from being a prudent character to one that is now sympathetic and intimidated towards Bartleby.
As readers begin Bartleby, they learn that the narrator is an individual that wants his life revolved around order. Even before the narrator gives the story of Bartleby, he feels the urge to tell readers about his previous employees and their behavioral characteristics. The narrator does not want to know or care for what his employees do aside from their work, but he does care that they are able to work efficiently while at work. Melville effectively portrays the narrator as someone who finds comfort in structure and not being concerned with others’ actions.
Melville effectively illustrates that the narrator is changing due to Bartleby because the narrator has became sympathetic of Bartleby. Upon learning that Bartleby has been living in the law firm, the narrator’s thoughts toward Bartleby becomes one of sadness and pity. The narrator states, “For the first time in my life a feeling of overpowering stinging melancholy seized me,” and he also adds, “My first emotions had been those of pure melancholy and sincerest pity” (Melville 18).   The narrator understands that Bartleby is alone and gives Bartleby even more leniency for not doing any work that is asked. The narrator thinks of some other reason that Bartleby is rendered from doing any more writing, and concludes that it must be his eyesight is going bad. The narrator is sympathetic with him and encourages him to take a break. It...