Bartleby, the Scrivener In “Bartleby, the Scrivener” by Herman Melville, the changing attitudes of the narrator have a significant impact on the narrator’s conclusion. Other literary elements, such as diction, point of view, and imagery also play a part of the story’s overall outcome. The lawyer is very concerned for his own self-approval. He is unable to fully realize Bartleby’s desperation because of his constant concern for what the scrivener can do …showed first 75 words of 498 total…

…showed last 75 words of 498 total…narrator’s unsure attitude towards Bartleby. The grass could mean a new hope and survival, or it could mean imprisonment with no hope of escaping. Bartleby, on the other hand, chose his death, gradually leaving reality. The narrator, who thrives in the world that exhausted Bartleby, cannot help but be moved by Bartleby’s insight. The tone of his concluding statement, “Ah, Bartleby, Ah, humanity!” reveals sadness and a feeling of resignation instead of anger.