I Would Prefer Not To Do This

In Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville, Bartleby is directly characterized several times. We learn that the lawyer is generous man who always chooses the easy way. It can be inferred that the characterization of Bartleby indirectly characterizes the lawyer. Most people identify themselves with similar people. The lawyer shows sympathy for Bartleby over and over again. At one point, the lawyer invites Bartleby to live in his home: " 'will you go home with me now--not to my office, but my dwelling' "(Melville, 670). Bartleby shows the lawyer that he has no motivation. He shows that the lawyer seems to be alone. It seems that the lawyer spends most of his time at the office. The lawyer offers to help Bartleby get a new job, but Bartleby refuses. This shows the lawyers stubbornness to deal with his problems efficiently and aspire to new heights. Bartleby proves that the lawyer has alienated himself from the rest of society.