The Giver by Lois Lowry is a novel that has won many awards. The protagonist, Jonas asks with astonishment, “How can someone not fit into the community?” The community was meticulously organized, and choices were carefully chosen (Lowry, 48). Jonas is talking about the community he lives in, a controlled, pain-free society. Jonas discovers that conformity is a way to ensure security but also condemns the expression of individual thoughts and ideas. Herman Melville’s short story “Bartleby The Scrivener” also explores the theme of conformity and the struggle for individuality.
The narrator is a traditional lawyer and man of close to sixty years old. He basks in his comfort and security. Melville (85) describes the tone in which he declares himself to be “a man of exceptional safety”. The narrator rejects the dangers and uncertainty that comes with ambition. He confides in his ‘unambitious lawyer’ status, saying, “I do my business in a cool, tranquil retreat among mortgages and title deeds. The lawyer prefers conformity to individual recognition.
The lawyer’s staff, on the other hand, value their uniqueness. Turkey, a self-indulgent, obstreperous copyist, refuses the offer from his employer to buy a quality jacket, refusing to adhere to his boss’s dress code. The narrator says wryly that “I believe that he had a pernicious impact on himself by buttoning him up in such downy and blanket like a coat – just as too much oatmeal is bad for horse.” Turkey’s coat was felt by him in the exact same way a restless and rash horse would. It made Turkey insolent”(87). Nippers and Turkey are both comfortable in their own unique identities. Nippers is ambitious and has a desire for further differentiation. “The ambition of Nippers was evident by his impatience with the duties of an ordinary copyist. This is an unwarranted usurpation over strictly professional matters, such as drawing up legal documents in their original form” (87).
Turkey and Nipper have their own eccentricities. Turkey is “strangely inflamed” and “flirty” in afternoons, while Nipper, especially in mornings, is “nervous” and “grinning” and constantly unhappy with the height and shape of his table. The narrator depicts them with warmth, humor and acceptance of their quirks. He says, “I’ve never dealt with their eccentricities before.” As if guards, they relieved themselves of each other’s fits. Nipper’s and Turkey’s fits were on at the same time. Through the careful management of the lawyer, individuality and compliance can be achieved.
Bartleby was chosen by “the eminently stable man” to work with the Nippers and Turkey. Ironically, he is hired partly to bring coherence among the different personalities and to create a calm atmosphere. Bartleby, the employer says, is “steady…made him an invaluable acquisition” (93). Turkey and Nippers constantly create noise and movement, but Bartleby “did not show a single ripple of irritation” (90). Bartleby talks “mildly”, (91) but is also described as being “very still” (93) The scrivener represents conformity at first.
Bartleby’s independence is disturbing. After the third day at work, Bartleby begins to refuse his employer’s requests. “Imagine the surprise, or rather, the consternation I felt when Bartleby said, in a firm, but mild voice, that he would prefer to not do so. I sat there in silence, trying to gather my stunned faculties.” Bartleby is unique because he refuses to leave his privacy, and speaks with a firm voice.
As time passes, the lawyer’s confusion and frustration grows as the scrivener repeatedly refuses even to fulfill the most basic of wishes from his employer. The “high foldable green screen” (89) that physically separates Bartleby in his office from his employer begins to gain symbolic significance. Both appear to be unable to understand or see each other. The scrivener is completely blocked from the outside by a brick wall and the screen. His “hermitage”, (91) represents his individualism and isolation.
Bartleby is isolated because he has no home, no family and no friends. The narrator’s reaction is profound when he learns that the scrivener works and lives at the firm. The narrator remarks that “the thought swept over me, how miserable the friendliness is and how lonely! His poverty, yes; but the loneliness he suffers! Bartleby’s situation disturbs his employer who is drawn out of complacency and his “sung getaway” (85). His frustration and anger have been replaced by feelings of compassion.
Initial, the lawyer’s need to conform and be accepted by others holds his independent thoughts back. After realizing that Bartleby’s association is damaging his reputation, the lawyer has to remove him from the picture. “I realized that there was a buzz of curiosity about the strange creature in my office, among my professional associates.” This made me feel very worried (102). Bartleby must be abandoned because the lawyer feels compelled to comply with social expectations. In the second instance, the lawyer disowns Bartleby because he fears social condemnation. “I tried in vain to convince myself that Bartleby had no meaning for me” (104). The lawyer struggles between the desire to fit in and to be a unique individual.
The lawyer’s efforts to fit in with society continue, but he stands out by offering Bartleby a variety of support and help: financial aid, recommendations, and eventually an invitation for Bartleby to share his house. Bartleby’s unwillingness to conform and cooperate is the cause of his downfall. His spirit weakens as his isolation grows: his eyes become “dim,” (90), he’s referred to as “a ghost,” (93) he’s later found in “one his most profound dead-wall reveries,” (102). Bartleby was finally imprisoned because he refused to conform. Ironically, even though he has the freedom to “wander” (106), he remains under observation and judgment, in this instance “from a narrow slit of the prison windows”. There are many parallels between prison and society. Bartleby is “wasted”, (108) and his body is found by Bartleby a short time later. His former employer finds him “huddled” at the bottom of the wall, with “his dim eyes… open” (108). The word “wasted”, (108) is not only a dead body, but one that was carelessly treated. His unique spirit was not able to survive.
Herman Melville shows in “Bartleby The Scrivener” the difficulties that people face when trying to be themselves in a world of conformity. Throughout the story, Melville’s narrator leaves the safety of a traditional life to stand alone and show compassion for the isolated, challenging society’s lack of concern. Bartleby’s refusal to conform makes him unable to maintain his individuality. Melville suggests the idea that individuality is not something you can cultivate in isolation. It needs to have society’s support and tolerance. In fact, individuality and conformity are compatible.
References
Original: The author says
Paraphrased: The writer states
Lowry, Lois. The Giver is a novel by Lois Lowry that tells the story of a boy who lives in a society where all memories of the past have been eliminated. New York: Laurel Leaf, 2002. Print.
Melville, Herman. American Short Stories Seventh Edition. Bartleby, The Scrivener. Eds.
Bert Hitchcock Virginia Koudis Eugene Current Garcia Longman published a work in New York in 2002. 84-108. Print.