Bartleby’s choices not only affected his livelihood, but everybody around Bartleby became infected with the musk of his poor choices. Bartleby told the employer that he would “prefer not to.” Since Bartleby would not leave, the employer decided to move the location of the office. The employer told “Bartleby that in six days’ time he must unconditionally leave the office.” (136). The objections began to become out of control and the employer decided to let Bartleby go. This was the first objection of work and Bartleby continued to do this time and time again. Bartleby stated “‘I would prefer not to.’” (21). (This story was written in the first person, making ‘me,’ the employer). The first time Bartleby “preferred not” to was “when he was called to to examine a small paper with me.”(21). The way Bartleby lost his job was through his choice to “prefer not to.” He would get asked by the employer to do a task, and would politely refuse.
This choice of acquiring the job as a scrivener was the start of series of negative choices made by Bartleby. He was a great worker with a strong work ethic, but all that changed as time went on.
As if long famishing for something to copy, he seemed to gorge himself on my documents.” (18). In the beginning of Bartleby’s time as a scrivener, he, “did an extraordinary quantity of writing. This proved to be the wrong choice by the employer, again going back to the theme of choices. When Bartleby first entered the building, the employer of the office was delighted to have an extra man on the job as believed Bartleby, “might operate beneficially upon the flighty temper of Turkey, and the fiery one of Nippers.” (16). In most other cases, this would be the right choice, but in Bartleby’s case, this choice proved to bring fatal repercussions. One choice that Bartleby made was to get a job. The choices that Bartleby made give him a job, took away that job, and ultimately brought Bartleby to his death. In Bartleby the Scrivener, by Herman Melville, a major theme that comes forth is the theme of choice. The protagonist, Bartleby’s employer, gives Bartleby many opportunities to right his wrongs and attempts to get Bartleby to make the right choices in his life. He would, “prefer not to” and would get no work done throughout his time at the office. In Bartleby the Scrivener, Bartleby is the antagonist who seeks a job, ruins his opportunity at the place of work, and negatively affects the people around him at work.
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