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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 6 page paper which examines what Melville suggests is the motivation behind our most cherished values of charity, duty, and responsibility. Also considered are the role Bartleby plays in the narrator’s moral conflict, and the role Billy plays in Captain Vere’s. No additional sources are used.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGbartbill.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
the classic studies of good vs. evil. His characters and situations typically concerned the concept of virtue and the human motives behind behaving in an ethical matter. Melville
did not regard virtue as an entity onto itself, meaning that just because a person appeared to be a paragon of virtue didnt necessarily mean that the person was genuinely
virtuous. In two of his most famous works - the short story "Bartleby, the Scrivener" and short novel Billy Budd, Sailor - Herman Melville critiques virtue by exploring characters
motivation behind humanitys most cherished values, particularly charity, duty, and responsibility. He also examines the roles certain crucial characters play in exacerbating the moral conflicts of others. The title
character of "Bartleby, the Scrivener" is a man who is very single-minded of purpose. He is initially perceived to be the most dutiful and responsible worker, laboriously copying documents
for his employer. However, when the lawyer for whom he works attempts to add to his responsibility, for instance asking him to also proofread the copied documents for errors,
Bartleby refuses by saying simply, "I would prefer not to" (Melville 597). As time passes, Bartlebys behavior becomes even more suspect - he refuses to take nourishment or leave
his place of business. Instead of taking a sympathetic view of his employee, the narrator (who is the true protagonist of the story), treats him as if he is
a human oddity or aberration. He cannot get beyond the fact that Bartleby will not do as he is told. The narrator believes his position is perfectly justified,
but he tries to accept Bartlebys idiosyncrasies in the name of Christian charity (at least as a defined by a capitalist lawyer), observing, "Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as
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