Bartleby

The quote I would like to discuss today is, "Ah, happiness courts the light, so we deem the world is gay; but misery hides aloof, so we deem that misery there is none." I find this quote meaningful among the passages of Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street because the whole story swirls around differences between those who have the means to provide for themselves and those who need assistance, along with questions about the importance of interactions between the two classifications. In this quote, I think Melville is expressing his belief that in general, those who have managed to avoid despair, loneliness, and emptiness are not understanding of those whose lives are characterized by struggle. It is easy for those of us who are doing well in our conquests and are surrounded by people who love us to dismiss other lifestyles as if they don't even exist. The upper classes are oblivious to poverty, loss, and starvation. We have no need to glance into the darkness, because we know that we preside in the light. In the story of Bartleby, he represents what can happen if someone spends too much of their life in the dark. Bartleby is characterized by an unbreakable air of solitude. He does not know love, happiness, forgiveness, or thankfulness. Melville uses Bartleby to create a bridge between the two worlds (light and dark), however one that has long been neglected and is almost impossible to cross. This is the reason the story is so drenched in frustration and confusion, is because Melville believes the class divide is stark and daunting, and even charity cannot break its hold on society.