Comparing Bartleby, The Scrivener And The Overcoat

People one can never really tell how person is feeling or what their situation is behind closed doors or behind the façade of the life they lead. Two masterly crafted literary works present readers with characters that have two similar but very different stories that end in the same result. In Herman Melville’s story “Bartleby the Scrivener” readers are presented with Bartleby, an interesting and minimally deep character. In comparison to Gail Godwin’s work, “A Sorrowful Woman” we are presented with a nameless woman with a similar physiological state as Bartleby whom expresses her feelings of dissatisfaction of her life. Here, a deeper examination of these characters their situations and their ultimate fate will be pursued and delved into

It is both an unarguable and undesirable fact that we live in a society completely remote from our fellow man. There is no longer a sense of community between friends and neighbors — no brotherhood in the presence of coworkers in the commercial workplace. Even the higher, spiritual presence that had once bound together all things in worship and praise has faltered in the face of this profound apathy. It is not that mankind has lost its ability to communicate — modern technology provides us with the ability to speak to one another over tremendous lengths and sustain friendships in staggering amounts. The reason for this chasm of communal indifference stems from man's lost desire to understand one another, as well as the divine presence around

In the short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” which was written by Herman Melville, the character named Bartleby is a very odd, yet interesting individual. In the story, Bartleby is introduced when he responds to a job opening at the narrator’s office. Although there is no background information given about him, it becomes very apparent that he will be the antagonist in this story. Unlike the usual image put on the antagonist, Bartleby causes conflict with a very quiet and calm temperament. This character’s attitude, along with the fact that he is a flat and static character, makes him a very unique antagonist, and this fact is shown through the way other characters approach and deal with his conflict.

A life lived, no matter the curves that people impose on their path is a crux of fulfillment. In Bartleby the Scrivener, Bartleby chooses to impose the curves of isolation to take a more direct path towards his inevitable death. The reader sees this through the lawyers eyes and only really sees what the lawyer sees as this story is essentially one continuous flashback. The reader is as much barred from Bartleby’s meaning and thoughts as the lawyer is and as such the lawyer is molded into the role of a surrogate audience that the readers emulate, just as those who work in the office pick up on Bartleby’s mannerisms. Melville’s constructing a very strong narrative to try and mislead his readers into a specific way of thinking then branching from that core thought. This core thought that Melville tries to direct his audience to is Bartleby’s unwavering stubbornness for gradually increasing inactivity. By limiting the information available for what Bartleby’s reasons for his actions are through the first person limited perspective this story is told as, Melville provides a mystery that challenges the reader to solve. For the reader, Bartleby is shown as a character development rubix cube for the reader to puzzle out.

In a time of large, corrupt, and ineffective bureaucracy, Nikolai Gogol looks provide a humorous perspective on life in Tsarist Russia. Through both "The Nose" and "The Overcoat," Gogol reveals his true nature as a comical humorist with the intention of giving readers a laugh but also of mocking human vanity.

In Herman Melville's short story, Bartleby, the Scrivener, the storyteller's aura towards Bartleby is ceaselessly changing, the storyteller's attitude is gone on through the maker's use of theoretical parts, for instance, lingual power particular and occupying, point of view first individual, and tone-confuse and inconvenience.

Russian literature was very much influenced by the literary trope known as the superfluous man. This trope was ideal for writers to describe the shortcomings of Russian high-class society. There has been a witnessed general consistency when dealing with the superfluous man such as the exhibition of cynicism and existential angst, while indulging in vices such as affairs, gambling and duelling. These individuals are typically from noble birth yet refused to fit into society and disregard the societal norms. This trend can be witnessed through many examples such as Alexander Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin” and “Diary of a Superfluous Man” by Ivan Turgenev. The characters described by these authors reflects the lifestyles of such a man, and

At first glance, Akaky appears to be stuck in the bureaucratic system as a mere slave. The “system” supposedly oppresses him causing him to be compliant and introverted. He appears to be oppressed by the system causing him to be compliant and introverted. However, Akaky enjoys his position as a lowly clerk, and actually prefers to maintain his status rather than climb the ranks in his office to reduce the assumed oppression of the bureaucratic system. Thus, the individual has some control over whether or not they are oppressed by their environment or government. Akaky only experiences the oppression from the complex Russian bureaucracy when he loses his coat. He finds the need to interact with the different levels of the

In James C. Wilson’s evaluation, the critic delves into the other means of interpreting Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener.” Wilson’s interpretation strays away from what other critics seem to focus on when analyzing this story. He chooses to reflect upon other characters and symbols besides the main rounded character. Wilson’s interpretation is spot-on. However, he also misses key points that would aid in his argument.

The ‘superfluous man’ is a character archetype that has been widely used in nineteenth century Russian literature. Such men are cynics who do not abide by the social norms. They are usually of the gentry, well-educated and aware of their character traits which define them as ‘superfluous’. However, they are not capable of or interested in changing themselves. Their actions, such as duelling and participating in romantic intrigues are usually fuelled by boredom, curiosity and apathy for the feelings of others.

Of the prolific 19th century for Russian literature, one of the most important literary figures is the renowned playwright and writer Anton Chekhov. Chekhov’s vast bibliography includes the short story “The Bet” which is, as it sounds, a story about a bet, however, through Chekhov’s use of isolation, harsh realism, and an emphasis on ambiguity he presents an allegorical tale which functions as a critique of man’s pride and arrogance.

Society can use anything to judge someone’s worth, even through the use of clothing. Putting the protagonist, Akakiy Akakievitch, in this situation, Nikolai Gogol demonstrates this idea into one of his short stories, “The Overcoat.” In his story, Nikolai Gogol uses an overcoat as an imagery to represent the classes, who holds the power, and the relationship between the classes in Russian society.

During this, it appears that Akaky’s life takes a turn in which he has a new sense of purpose. The author explains how the value of a material good changed his emotional state and how he becomes more decisive. Akaky’s decision to go to Petrovich for a material item represents him bargaining with evil. Once he finally has the money for the coat things start to change for Akaky. His co-workers begin to act nicer to him and he’s even invited to a party with the other clerks. Gogol shows how the material possession raises Akaky’s status and opens a world of new opportunities to him. However, Akaky is given this taste of status an in a way it begins to corrupt him. The overcoat becomes the most important thing in his life and he becomes obsessed with it. He even makes the comparison of the coat to having a wife, “from then on it was as if his very existence became somehow full, as if he were married, as if some other perosn were there with him, as if her were not alone…”(406). Once he decides to walk home from the party and the coat is stolen from him, the loss of his coat exposes Akaky as a helpless impoverished man. Gogol exposes the saddening truth that by Akaky being at a lower social status he is destined to not fully be able to fulfill his dream of being a normal significant human being. Even when Akaky reports the robbery, the superintendent refuses to full focus on the

The overcoat was an interesting short story, Akaky seems kind of like me he keeps to himself but, then gets a lot of friends when he gets a new coat. Akaky faces me things in this short story. One thing he faces human isolation, being alone would bother many people and lead to depression but, Akaky was content with being alone. Second thing Akaky faces is urban alienation, being in Russia a tough place with no family or friends Akaky tends to keep to himself. Lastly Akaky faces social injustice

In the field of replaying books, as she points out, Dostoyevsky intentionally misapprehend Pushkin’s and Gogol’s ‘Stationmaster’ and ‘The Overcoat’, respectively, so as to write ‘Poor Folk’. This is however another of his strategies for enlarging the understanding of the protagonist in his epistolary novel. The theme of darkness is acknowledged to him and expands in his maturity when he wrote; White Nights, Notes from the Underground that portray the anti-hero; Essential Explanation, The Demons show the growing of his demonic and devilish interpretation and idiosyncrasy, however coping with a genuine Orthodox tradition.