Discuss melville’s characterization of the narrator of the story using the questions which you find most revealing.
can you accept all of his judgments as reliable?
is he a noble character? why or why not?
what kind of employer is he?
whom does he come to tolerate better as employees, turkey and nippers or bartleby? why?
is he ever unreasonable in his demands on his employees?
what is the narrator’s attitude toward public opinion and the reaction of his clients and colleagues?
in your opinion, is he ultimately charitable toward bartleby? if so, what motivates his charity? why does his charity finally fail?
carefully considers and discuss the meaning of the final three sentences of the story.
what does the narrator believe that he had learned as a result of his experiences with bartleby?
what do you believe to be the major theme of melville’s story? evaluate the soundness of this theme in terms of biblical teaching. at what point in the story does melville quote the bible? for what purpose?