Bartleby, The Scrivener. A Story of Wall Street. Herman Melville

"Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is a short story by Herman Melville that introduces Bartleby, a peculiar scrivener (copyist) who starts working for a Manhattan law firm. Initially industrious, Bartleby soon begins to decline his assigned tasks with his constant polite response, "I would prefer not to." This refusal escalates until Bartleby ceases work altogether, refusing not only to write but also to leave the office, perplexing his employer and coworkers. The narrator, Bartleby's employer, attempts to understand and help him, but Bartleby's passive resistance and mysterious behavior only deepen.
I won't reveal the ending here.

[@The06201980]

This slipped in under the radar! I follow your channel but didn’t see when this dropped and just searched for the story to and by golly you’ve done it! One of my all time favorites!

[@DKClaire]

I too was just thinking of revisiting this story which I read over a decade ago; but never forgotten it.