“I prefer not to” is the part of “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville that jumped out to me the most. The statement was made six times in the short story and also seems to reflect the attitude of Bartleby as well as other characters. It is very ambiguous as to why Bartleby chooses this inaction other than as a plot device. It drives the story in such a way that without it I suppose you would just have a rather light-hearted tale of two scribners who's shortcomings make for an almost slapstick days work when enters Bartleby, a smart capable scribner who makes the new workload manageable for the old lawyer who hires him.
I must say that after reading the piece I was curious to just what the message is here, much to my chagrin it is a much debated subject, but I must say I am not surprised. Bartleby's statement “I prefer not to” to me makes me think of just about anyone. When your boss asks you to do some task, at the end of the day do you really want to? No, of course not, Bartleby seems to tell it like it is in a similar fashion to Peter Gibbons in “Office Space”. The only difference I see is that Bartleby's situation to Peter's is the disposition. Peter would rather enjoy his life then spend it on the business end of cubicle clamoring for what little time he is allotted to enjoy the finer things in life (not to mention hypnosis, but that is irrelevant). While Bartleby seems almost manically depressed, in all reality I suppose an explanation is purposely left out to open it up for interpretation.
The other characters, like the narrator and the new tenants, also reflect the “I prefer not to” attitude. The lawyer chooses not to fire Bartleby because he feels bad. He prefers not to deal with the discomfort of firing someone who appears to be in such a bad situation. The new tenants at first feel bad for Bartleby and contact the lawyer so they to “prefer not to”. In this way the and given the time period the piece was written it could reflect the values of society. Capitalism and Wall Street were just beginning to be a part of society. The ending, with Bartleby starving, could show that those around him were being to easy on him and doing more harm than good.
Bartleby's statement reflects the attitude of both himself and others in the story. The message could also show a new thought process starting in society because of Wall Street. It also reflects the feelings many of us have.
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