Journal Twenty-Five: Melville's "Bartleby"

As with the previous entries, choose three passages that you find of interest or importance, type them in verbatim, provide a paraphrase, and then explain what you found to be of interest or importance in those passages. (The more you write here, the more prepared you will be when having to explain passages in the final.) One thing to keep in mind is the story's subtitle: "A Story of Wall Street." Bartleby's story is meant to stand for something beyond himself so don't be trapped by focusing only on what seems to be his weird behavior, but keep in mind the broader contexts as you read and write. There is a reason for the Dead Letter Office portion of the story that should shed some light on the context of the story.

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Bradley