The Annoyance of a Scrivener

Melville. I think I may cringe every time I hear his name for a while now. Reading "Bartleby, The Scrivener" was brutal for me especially since I had the distinct feeling that Melville tried to get the reader to care for Bartleby and wonder at this bizarre and unreasonable character. It felt as though because the lawyer tolerated Bartleby's behavior and mannerisms that they should be less annoying and the reader should feel the same tolerance and concern as the lawyer felt. However if this was in any part something Melville meant to incorporate, he failed. Unfortunately, his descriptions would fluctuate between being entertaining and quirky to long, repetitive, and utterly unnecessary, so I found myself in the odd position of loving Ginger Nut the most as he seemed the most interesting one of the bunch and the most entertaining, despite having the smallest role.