Bartleby Movie Themes

The lawyer was used to having all the control in his office. Bartleby opposes the lawyer's requests with simple, peaceful disobedience. This is perhaps the lawyer's first experience with an uncooperative subordinate. Bartleby becomes a challenge to the lawyer's sense of order, leadership and humanity. The lawyer has the power and control of his employees until the power shifts to Bartleby. Bartleby does not have control (nor does he appear to seek control) of anyone but himself. He does not order the lawyer to do anything -- he doesn't even yell. By his simple protest of "I would prefer not to" Bartleby confronts (and in a way - questions) the power of the lawyer's authority in the workplace. The lawyer allows himself to be manipulated by Bartleby's opposition. He is compelled to change his perspective.

However, this rejection that these characters have also seems to be a symbol of male anxiety. The characters always seem to be dispatched by their male equivalents. Looking at ‘Heat’ again, when Neil Mc Cauley is dying, he reaches out gesturing to hold Vincent’s hand, squeezing it tightly. This scene cries out as a testimony to Michael Mann’s recurring interest in the relationship between the professional opposites which almost always seems to result in a metaphysical displacement that is strangely elevating.

The secondary title for the novel, A Story of Wall-Street, sets the stage for what has become another moral dilemma of man — the importance of commerce placed over the importance of life. Melville plays with the role of commerce continuously throughout this work, which takes place inside of a Lawyer's office on Wall Street. The Lawyer states, very simply, that he is "a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best," revealing that at the very core of his being is an ideal that anything strenuous he may come across in his path should be quickly avoided, as to not cause any disturbance in his daily routine (Melville 1). This accurately sums up the general mindset of those on Wall Street at the time, and perhaps America as a whole -- that anything out of the ordinary was considered a nuisance to those focused entirely on the generation of wealth. The Lawyer recognizes this, and even considers himself a part of this crowd. However, he has taken the time to write this account of Bartleby, the Scrivener that arrives one day to fill a position in the office. While Bartleby may represent this "nuisance" exactly, the Lawyer finds himself drawn towards the mysterious quality he brings, unaware whether he will be beneficial to the firm or

They were striped of the regular human emotions and were created merely as puppets to assist the delivery of other symbolic means. The names of Turkey, Ginger Nut and Nippers were symbolic nicknames the characters had of each other, they fit their physical and personality characteristics. On a deeper level the lawyer may also hinted that they were insignificant figures, the lawyer never even used their real names and their real names were never introduced, they were just a few of many scriveners in the lawyer’s memory.

This is because the narrator is trying to help Bartleby, such as giving him extra money, but when Bartleby doesn’t show appreciation, the narrator’s attitude towards him change. He is “seriously displeased [and] pained” (20) by Bartleby’s lack of appreciation. Furthermore, the narrator’s feelings toward Bartleby shift from sympathy to guilt because Bartleby ends up in jail. He isn’t the main reason for why Bartleby is in jail, but he is part of the problem. He is so deeply pained by the idea that he put Bartleby in jail because he doesn’t want to accept that he is part of the reason. The narrator has been sheltering Bartleby, by allowing him to stay in the office and give him extra money, and in doing so he attached himself to Bartleby. He no longer sees Bartleby as charity, but rather a responsibility. In the end, the narrator is no longer intrigued by Bartleby’s oddities because Bartleby has turned into a burden of

Ferris Bueller is a high school kid that enjoys skipping school and always comes up with excuses on how to make it possible. Pretty much, this kid is living every high school kid’s dream. In this movie, he makes every wild planned event that he comes up with possible.

All in all, “The Dead” is a story of contradictions. Gabriel and the others at the party are alive, but they behave as though dead, while Michael Furey who is the only true dead character of the story, lives the most with his intense emotions, ardent love, and unconventional behavior. Furey helps Gabriel realize that life cannot be based off of deadened routines and formal conduct, but instead has to be full of adventure and excitement. In the end, Joyce uses artistic unity to suggest that people can exist

The walls of Bartleby conflict with the lawyer's walls, but both are designed to keep both the lawyer and Bartleby safe from the outside world. The lawyer's safe haven is where his office is: Wall Street. On Wall Street, the lawyer knows exactly what society expects of him. He is content with himself and his sense of conventionality and considers himself a representative human being. The lawyer considers Bartleby to be representative of humanity. The lawyer states, "For both I and Bartleby were sons of Adam" (Melville 143). The lawyer originally places himself and Bartleby in the same context of society. However, the lawyer seems to recognize, at the conclusion of the story, the universality of Bartleby's plight. Leon F. Seltzer indicates, "Not simply Bartleby but everybody is essentially isolated in the prison of self and can break out of it only through illusions, whose fragility constantly subjects them to destruction" (119).

In Bartleby, The Scrivener, Bartleby serves as the main character with his distinct nature that everyone is trying to decipher. Despite the attention around Bartleby, much of the story also revolves around the narrator, the lawyer, who tells the story through his perspective; this implies that the lawyer’s ideology and perception of societal norms shape the interactions between the lawyer and Bartleby but also how the story is told. Take for example, if the lawyer disregards Bartleby and fires him on the spot, this story would have ended rather quickly and been much different than it actually is. With this said, the lawyer’s peculiar attraction to Bartleby’s strange behavior can be explained by the lawyer’s innate ideas of social norms and instruction that stems from the behavior of the other scriveners and his own experiences.

The work quarters Bartleby has been given are very cramped and claustrophobic. For example, out of all the widows near Bartleby’s desk the only thing visible is bricks from the other buildings and right behind him is a screen separating his office with his boss’s office.

As most can remember those days when the family would joyfully gather around and absorb television together. Particularly, those kinds of moments consume the strength understanding each other's tolerance levels which soundly relate to commitment. Moreover, stars like Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and sports stars (i.e., O.J. Simpson) stain our memories with joy, laughter, and conversely, enough hatred.

Bartleby gradually loses his motivation to work in the Wall Street Office. The lawyer wants him to examine a small document but

Bartleby’s lack of desire, aversion, and motivation is what builds this insurmountable wall. What motion and emotion he lacks is made up for from his opposition. This response by Bartleby’s target normally involves losing focus, becoming frustrated, and falling into confusion (which makes it relatable to the first point). It also gives Bartleby invulnerability from control and commands because it further confirms how unchangeable and uncontrollable he really is. Nothing can control Bartleby because there is nothing he fears or wants. The lawyer even attempts to gain some ground on the issue by trying to get an insight of any motive from Bartleby, “to encounter him in new opposition, to elicit some angry spark from him answerable to my own”, and even places Bartleby in a trap by asking him “You will not?” to see if he will actually give a direct answer, only to be disappointed by receiving yet again “I prefer not” (Melville, 305). Bartleby purposely remains vague not just to stir confusion (as mentioned before), but to also make himself unaffected by any outcome, for he has no real wants or desires. Susan Weiner explains this idea better within her article by using the idea of photographs as an analogy towards Bartleby and his stillness. The article presents the idea of capturing life through photography, and in taking the photo of some aspect of life, the photographer kills the meaning behind that aspect and now ‘owns it’. The cause behind this is because instead of capturing the entire cycle of this aspect, for life is a continuous flow, the photo

I think that Tim Burtons work has multiple ways it can be interpreted, then again it also has many themes and purposes. The theme that stands out to us all straight away is the horror and terror factor in each of his pieces. This definitely the dominant theme in all his paintings, drawings and movies due to his use of darkness and the aspect of creepy and dark creatures. Also by his use of dark lightning it make people think about death, not belonging and also creates a gloomy atmosphere. However the purpose of these themes are to create a beautiful and mysterious yet dangerous surrounding in which the viewer feels comfortable in, but has the urge to explore and to look at for longer. Although almost every work of Tim’s collections are somewhat

Bartleby shows up because he answering an ad the lawyer put out and the lawyer gives him the job. Bartleby seems like an excellent worker because in the beginning he would write all day and night, but eventually even Bartleby starts acting up and saying “he would prefer not