Question

In at least 150 words, discuss the significance of setting in Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener." Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Answer 1

The setting in Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” is a crucial element in the story. The extended title, “A Story of Wall-Street”, provides the specific setting as regards place. At that time, Wall Street had become an important financial center in America. As regards the year of publication, the work was first published in 1953 which was a time of rapid development in American economy.

The story takes place in a law office in Manhattan. The office presents an unfriendly environment that resembles the business-based atmosphere of Wall Street. The space is described as “entirely unhallowed by humanizing domestic associations” (p.36). In that way, the author describes the impersonality of a business society. In this context, the author does not provide the reader with any information about the characters apart from their particular behavior in the office. Also, the word “walls” is repeated many times throughout the story and they refer to the barriers between employer and employee.