Paradox
: Bartleby is stubborn, self-absorbed, rebellious, and insubordinate, yet many readers, and even the narrator, the Boss himself, have a deep sympathy for him. Why?
Others?
I think that by Bartleby seemingly having nowhere to stay, his lack of communication with anyone, and the fact that he never asks for anything or for anyone to help him, really allows people to feel deep sympathy. No matter how stubborn and insubordinate a man or woman may be, if he/she is homeless, it really touches our hearts. Just to learn that Bartleby was living in the office and had nowhere else to stay, made me feel bad for him. On top of that, Bartleby never says a word to anyone unless he is spoken to. It makes me feel as if he is alone in the world and that he just needs to open up to someone instead of keeping everything bottled in. It immediately sets off a sympathy bell in your head. Now along with his lack of communication, he also never asks for help or for anything in general. How does he survive, where does he shower, when does he have fun, does he have back aches from sleeping uncomfortably on chair, how did he come to be homeless, why doesnt he open up to anyone, when will he finally get help, how has he survived all these years, does he have any family, if he does why arent the helping him, does anybody care for him or about him? I mean all these questions came to my head when thinking about Bartleby and his life. These are what led me to have a deep sympathy for him so it may be the reason as to why others, including his boss, feel the same way. And because he is so quiet and does not ask for much, it is hard for people to be mad at him. Which only adds to the lists of reasons as to why readers feel deep sympathy for him
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