Bartleby the Scrivener Response

 

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"Ah, happiness courts the light, so we deem the world is gay; but misery hides aloof, so we deem that misery there is none". (Bartleby par. 89)

This passage is one of my favorite from the story. It's a single sentence that can cause one to ponder for hours at its meaning. The narrator I think in fact is not entirely sure if this statement is reality or not. I think that in this very sentence he is sort of thinking out loud and this statement is more of a question rather than a certainty.

In this sentence the narrator simply lays out the positive side of life being "gay" and the negative side which is "misery." I believe this single sentence can shed light on the entire story because misery and happiness seem to be the two dominating emotions for Bartleby as well as the narrator. Bartleby is obviously progressively miserable throughout the entire story until he eventually refuses to eat and dies. The narrator seeks to help him for an extended period of time but was never able to get through. At the end of the story the reader is left thinking with bewilderment. The meaning of life and how Bartleby unfortunately did not see it is the issue that presents itself. Bartleby did not have inner joy but was rather depressed. This depression was Bartleby's misery that "hides aloof." Overall I think this quote shows the contrast of happiness and misery. Some expressively show their joy because it overflows within them, while others hide their misery. Pondering this one quote I feel is the main thought of the entire story.

For great quotes from the text and other famous literature. Link: https://lbblackboard.yc.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_43648_1%26url%3D