“What was to be done? He would do nothing in the office: why should he stay there? In plain fact, he had now become a millstone to me, not only useless as a necklace but afflictive to bear. Yet I was sorry for him”. (Pg. 42, paragraph 3)
This quote contributes to the memory of the meaning of the story in how
The lawyer in the story was able to realize that he felt sorry for one of his employees. He had hired a simple copier by the name of Bartleby who was given an office to work in. At some point Bartleby decided to stop doing things around the office and his only response to mostly everything was “I would prefer not to”. One day the lawyer found out that Bartley was living in his office. Bartleby had no family, no place to live, and knew no one in town. One day the lawyer told Bartleby should start working once again or start packing his stuff and move along. Bartley continue his attitude and sure did the lawyer fire him. The lawyer suggested that he should be gone by tomorrow. The lawyer keeps thinking over and over again whether he would find Bartley in the office again or not. Bartley never left the office and would not say any words. Like in the quote, The Lawyer had no idea of what he was going to do with Bartleby how was he going to get rid of him. The lawyer did not wanted to just throw Bartley out in the street he wanted to help him out. This quote is important because it explains how Bartley had become a mean full person to him. The lawyer worried in what Bartley was going to do without his home which was his office. The lawyer knew that he had nothing more to do in the office. Through the book the Lawyer tries his best to get Bartley out not his life and having not to deal with what would happen to him. But at the end of the day Bartley comes again to the Lawyers life. At the end of the story the Lawyer ends up taking care of Bartley as much as he avoided to help him and to not have him around he knew deep inside him that he wanted to help him out. The lawyer was very sympathetic towards Bartleby through the story.
I agree with your thoughts about the lawyer caring for Bartleby. He did go out of his way to try not to care at the beginning, but had a change of heart for the man. He tried to help in any way he could. I enjoyed reading your interpretation.
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