Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street Summary
Herman Melville

Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street Summary

The Law Office on Wall Street

The narrator of "Bartleby the Scrivener" begins the story by introducing the reader to the law office on Wall Street of which he was the manager when he first met Bartleby. The narrator describes himself as an unambitious, elderly lawyer who has enjoyed a comfortable tenure as Master in Chancery. Before hiring Bartleby, the narrator—henceforth referred to as the lawyer—employed two law-copyists, or scriveners, and one office boy. The lawyer describes each of his employees in turn The elder scrivener, nicknamed Turkey, is neanng sixty and it is implied that he drinks heavily on his lunch hour. The other scrivener, who goes by the nickname Nippers, is younger and considered overly ambitious by the narrator. The office boy is called Ginger Nut after the cakes which he brings to the two scriveners

Bartleby's Peculiar Resistance

Because of an increased work load at his office, the lawyer is forced to hire a third... View more of the Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street Summary