Bartleby The Scrivener (Movie), Herman Melville 1853
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- Опубликовано: 14 янв 2025
- Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is a short story by the American writer Herman Melville (1819--1891). It first appeared anonymously in two parts in the November and December 1853 editions of Putnam's Magazine, and was reprinted with minor textual alterations in his The Piazza Tales in 1856.
en.wikipedia.o...
July 3, 1840 Soren Kierikegaard completed his examination for his degree (magna cum laude) and entered the Pastoral Seminary November 17, 1840. He preached his first sermon at Holmens Kirke (Holmens Church) January 12 of the same year. Then in 1843 he began to publishing books one after another, and sometimes two or three on the same day, until Sept. 10, 1851 with the publication of "For Self-Examination Recommended to the Present Age".
Kierkegaard stopped publishing any books at all until Dec 18, 1854 when he began publishing articles in a newspaper called "The Fatherland". The articles were completed in May of 1855 and he began his own publication called "The Instant". He continued publishing articles until Sept 24, 1855 when he entered the hospital Sept 24, 1855 and died November 11, 1855.
Thank you for sharing this. The actor who portrays Bartleby is my father Patrick Campbell. This movie was made for Encyclopedia Brittanica for educational purposes in school. Most of my father's acting roles were comedic but this was among his few dramatic roles. He passed away in 2003 and I'm happy to see his work is alive and remembered. Thanks again!
Thanks for the comment. It looks like your father had a long acting career. I'm glad you enjoyed the movie.
tiffstoe Interesting to see your comment. I remember him from when I was a boy but I couldn't recall much of his work but I knew he had been around for quite some time. The only thing I have stuck in my head beside this is a commercial he did. Something with him walking on a beach with a chicken. Does that ring a bell at all?
Anyhow, I saw this in an English class in high school back in the 1970s.
Bubba Gump Hi Bubba Gump. Take a look at my RUclips uploads and you'll see why you remember him with a chicken. He was the Aames Home Loan guy, aka"The Chicken Man." I have uploaded a few of his commercials. Thank you for remembering him and happy watching!
+Craig Campbell Interesting how your name (I presume, a coincidence) is Campbell. If I were to become involved in a profession concerning film, I'd have my eye dead-set on an adaptation of this puzzling and melancholy story. Thank you for sharing.
+tiffstoe He's such a great actor!
Every day I’m at work I think of this story whenever someone asks me to do something.
Leave.
@@Johnconno I would prefer not to.
I saw this in 6th grade and it's haunted me ever since. Perversely, at the time I identified with Bartleby and he was the hero of the story to me. 40 years later I still have severe depression and struggle to do anything in life. Shoulda gone with Superman.
same here
I'm largely the same.
I believe the story is all about the traps of the modern economic system, and quite possibly *any* economic system, and thus life as a whole. What's clear is that Bartleby represents a sense of resignation and futility created by his wage-slavery, the loss of any sense of personal agency or autonomy other that to be a pure cog in a machine he is powerless to influence in any meaningful way
But almost as importantly, his boss is also trapped because he is on the same treadmill, forced to do whatever the "logic of the system" compels him to do. But the boss has an additional trap: being the boss, and the one who benefits from Bartleby's labor, his conscience forces him to take note of Bartleby's plight as his subordinate, since the boss knows he has power over Bartleby and gets enriched by his labor and by his trapped predicament: in a word, the system essentially forces him to exploit Bartleby, whether the boss wants to or not. So he tries to buy out of this responsibility with cash, to the meal provider at the prison, to alleviate his conscience. In the end, Bartelby dies from his refusal to participate in any of this, from the employment system to the lawyer's attempt to buy his way out of responsibility, his guilty conscience. Everyone is trapped. The lawyer tries to opt out through cash; Bartleby just by disengaging from life which offers nothing tolerable to him.
Most of us who feel Bartleby-like don't go to the extreme of not eating, self-starvation to death, but in depression that behavior (or maybe more accurately, non-behavior) is fairly common. For most of us in such a situation, the response is just pure passive resignation, going through the motions with as little exertion as possible, getting sustained by life's simple pleasures of eating, sleeping, breathing (sex if there is access), but otherwise mostly sleepwalking through life, doing as little as possible to stay alive and functioning, with or without some form of a job. @@DSAK55
@@AnonYmous-ry2jn very well said. I found your comment very interesting
Maybe becoming an Ahab would be a more exhilarating life.
My mother and I saw this when I was a child and we were moved and mystified by poor Bartleby. We discussed him on occasion for the rest of her life and she passed in 1999.
She must have liked you very much.
I like how his employer actually tried pretty hard to help Bartleby. This is one of those stories that is open to personal interpretation. To me, its theme is that life is random, and all you can do is your best - even if it’s futile.
But...this film said nothing about Bartelby having previously worked at the dead letter section at the post office. All the lives that he affected by having to burn the undeliverable mail. Though not his fault people had moved, died, etc. so could not receive mail that in many instances would have had positive life-changing effects...but not possible now. Bartelby was profoundly affected by this. Maybe some unwarranted guilt involved, but mostly the sadness and his deep internalization of the futility of human life, dreams, endeavors, love, etc. struck something deep inside of him, as well as his complete helplessness to do anything to help those people.
Excellent points! Why so many psychiatrists get suicidal, too?
I adore this film's faithfulness to the short story. It's virtually line by line save for those details you get from reading the story of course. Furthermore I'm actually glad they didn't give much of the other characters any lines since the story is emphatic on Bartleby and his interactions with his boss. Bravo.
i think some of the details they left our were important
Thanks George. The actor is my father and it’s nice to see your comment about a good job done on the adaptation
I remember see this on the NYC public station sometime in the 1970s. I was spellbound
James Westerfield (the lawyer) has such a rich, deep voice. Sadly, he died just two years after this excellent adaptation of Melville's story, aged only 58.
Too young to leave.
Thanks for posting this! I saw this film in Grade 9 English class, and for days if someone in class asked to borrow something, the response would be "I would prefer not to". And I totally forgot that Barry Williams (Greg Brady) had a small role.
Also watched this in 9th grade. Paul J Gelinas junior high school 1976. It’s never left my consciousness.
Also “ Occurence at owl 🦉 creek “
Which I loved 🥰 still to this Day 😂
This all reminds me of a feeling I have had that the world is very different to what I expected it to be.
Try reading Kafka. 🖤😂!!!
I read this in college, I didn't understand half of it as my English was underdeveloped but now I read it and it is as fascinating as back in college. Good reading
Like others, I saw this at school in my youth - a confrontation with an existential dilemma. It has lingered with me as a memory of irreducible, unresolvable intransigence for decades. Thank you to Westerfield and Campbell for their performances. It is as haunting as I recollect.
It’s funny cuz in real life most bosses wouldn’t have any qualms about throwing your ass out the second you disobey them. It would be a very short story. 😂
I would prefer not to comment
I would prefer not to reply
I would prefer to view neither comment nor replies to comments.
I would prefer not to understand you and Bartleby.
I would prefer not to
Thanks for posting this video. I was talking with my father, a retired high school English teacher, and we were remembering when he would bring films to class in the early seventies to play for his students after they had read a story. He would then bring projector and film to our house to have a movie night for my sisters and me. Bartleby was one of the movies, and I have been looking for it off and on for years now. I really enjoy this short version. The ending scenes were filmed at Fort Point under the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, a fascinating place to visit. Thanks again for making this fondly remembered part of my childhood available to me again!
One of the most potent stories of the modern age.
Thank you so much for posting this, my favorite short story. I saw this film version in high school in the '70's and have always wanted to see it again.
Thanks so much for posting this - saw this in high school back in the late 70s. I really loved the short story and this excellent portrayal
Thank you for uploading this. Have a great life, you.
Wow! I finally found this! My teacher showed the class this movie so very long ago and I remembered it ever since.
I love the book, is my favorite book ever !!
Agreed. It is a gem. Tell us what it is about the book that you find so compelling. And what do you think it is trying to say?
Bartleby made an existential decision, no more no less. We all have this freedom---and courage?
Bartelby's anti-social behavior is hurtful to him, thusly, insane.
I saw this several times as a junior high student. It scarred me for life. Yet here I am watching it like a moth drawn to a light bulb. 😵💫
If you look closely, you'll see future Brady Bunch actor Barry Williams (he played Greg, the oldest son in the Brady Bunch). He plays Ginger Nut, the young office boy. He has a small role, so he's not seen often.
Thank you. You saved me from trying to find the cast and rack my brain. This film brings back so many memories of "school days".
Watched this in high school…along with the rest of you. 📽
This haunting story has made a deep impression on me since I read it as a teenager over fifty years ago. This is the first time I have seen this film version which is faithful to the text. I’m very grateful.
Glad you like it.
Tiffstoe--Your father was a really wonderful actor, as was James Westerfield. It was because of them both that this little movie stuck in my head all this time, after I saw it in a 70's English class. Partick Campbell was ideal for this part, the lasting image of someone totally out of sync with the world and with the rest of the human species, pitiful but still heroic in maintaining his personal code--a code that reveals him as insane, but forces us to look at ourselves and ask what our responsibilities are. I have met my share of Bartlebys.
+Bernie MacKinnon Thank you for your comments. I especially appreciate them because for the most part, my father was a comedy actor. He had very few serious roles. I was wondering if you remember why you watched it in English. Was it because you were assigned to read the book? I am asking because the film was also used in psychology classes for students to analyze the behavior of Bartleby.
+tiffstoe I can see why it would be used in psychology classes. But in the senior-year high school English class where I encountered the story and the film, the focus was on Melville's literary skill--kind of ahead of its time, given its refusal to preach or explain. And there was the more spiritual question of how much we owe each other as fellow humans--very much in the province of literature, and bound to trigger a lot of class discussion.
Just the way I pictured Bartleby.
Well done. I pictured Crispin Glover.
Melville's story is about the boss really. It is in first person and the last sentence leaves no doubt. He cannot shake his sense of responsibility even though he declares himself blameless. Melville is always worth reading. Very like Shakespeare/Earl of Oxford in packing layers of meanings. Not like him in all ways - not interested in word games - but idolized him obviously.
As someone who has been clinically depressed and frequently suffers from lack of motivation and procrastination I understand what Bartleby is going through throughout the story. However at the same I have difficulty sympathizing with him due to the fact he should have sought help or at the very least allowed himself to be helped.
Bartleby didn't need help, he wasn't depressed. He just would prefer not to be part of a relentless machine. I see him as an activist more than a victim.
I think the story is up to interpretation, which allows people from different perspectives to relate.
@@TexKP so true (great reply). I’m a great fan of Bartleby, and I see it as a high level. Something to aspire to. No matter what, to simply be. To simply trust. To be ever observant, and non reactive. Utterly the highest level of both spiritual and psychological achievement.
Perhaps im being a little tongue and cheek. But im also being quite serious. And that is part of the achievement of Bartleby. To no longer be in a state of ambivalence. But to truly let go. It’s as far from depression as you could get. It’s sublime ambition. To transcend into an undifferentiated plentitude of being in itself.
@@Dennifer1 It's possible that both are true. You could see this as the passive-aggressiveness taken to the full extreme (death).
he doesn't say "no"...he says "he would prefer not to"....it is not the same ....
that's the most important thing
May you explain more in simple words, please?
Waed Abbadi because the point of the story is that bartleby is crushed by the capitalistic society. He cannot handle being set to the lowest point and the pressure cracks him. Because of this all he is able to do is state that he would prefer not to, something that you can typically say to your employer rather than no
I would prefer not to argue about preferences.
Ive read this both as a story of depression and one of protest
Both.
I keep getting the music stuck in my head!
+david snyder I'm the daughter of the actor who portrays Bartleby (Patrick Campbell). In our house it was a long standing joke to say, "I prefer not to'" when asked to do chores. Did it for years, much to our amusement, it seemed to never get old.
tiffstoe That's fantastic! XD
@@tiffstoe ...LOL...classic...
@@tiffstoe Lol! That's hilarious
The original Office Space
Bartleby is very wise. We should adopt his approach to the state/employer.
Can't you just imagine having Bartleby for a defense attorney in a criminal case?
at least he wouldn't say anything incriminating
I would prefer not to.
I would prefer not to.
what are you talking about most defense lawyers are exactly like Bartleby
@@GRasputin91 In the US, if people are poor? I have had very good lawyers here in Sweden, and the state paid for almost everything.
I will surrender to all my enemies in the world. I will not stand my ground and fight. I will pray for the happiness of everyone I know with all my might. I will not cause problems for anyone in the world. I will quietly sit and bide my time. All I need is my own small corner of the world. That would be fine. Does this seem a bit too strange for you? Everyone’s unique, you know? So if you do not mind, I don’t want to get involved. Please pass by without looking back. Let me stay here on my own. (Nakuna Hara chan )
This is probably the second or third time I've read the book, and just today have watched this wonderful film adaptation of the short story. It's a great adaptation, albeit the ending explanation of Bartleby's former occupation is omitted. So my thoughts on Bartleby, the Scrivener are as follows.
Bartleby clearly represents something significant in this story. What he represents, I believe, has purposely been left vacant as intended by the author to be interpreted by the reader. There are clearly several elements at play. Keep in mind, this is 1853!
History tells us much of the social milieu of the Melville's time, and the civil unrest that was taking hold in 19th century United States. At this point, slavery had not yet been abolished, women did not yet have the right to vote, Thoreau published Civil Disobedience (1849), Frederick Douglass' orations and narratives bolstered the anti-slavery movement, the mexican-american war (1846-48) and the american indian wars (1622-1924) were still very active, Uncle Toms Cabin was published (1852), from 1840-60 seven states joined the union (florida, texas, iowa, wisconsin, minnesota, california, oregon). Oh yeah, not to mention the Civil War (the bloodiest American war) was about to begin in 1861. Just imagine all of THIS going on AT THE SAME TIME!
What is civil unrest when your country is so blood-thirsty? What is passive resistance?
It's important that we take into account the historical context.
It might also be that Bartleby is just tired of life, but since he is also a very meek man, he simply can't bring himself to suicide.
Those are some interesting pieces of history! I do have a few problems applying them to the text, and might also offer a look at other literary movements at the time.
Writers of the transcendentalism movement were active at the same time as Melville. Walt Whitman the "defining American poet" (Emerson) published his Leaves of Grass in 1855, and his poems feature a study of how studying oneself can lead to self-fulfillment. Melville was especially skeptical of this movement as his character's motivations were often opaque, and their internal emotions often led them to tragedy.
The generation before Melville were enlightenment thinkers. These thinkers emphasized a study of the material world, these studies had been beaten to death by enlightenment thinkers, and literature in the mid-19th century took a shift away from a focus on the material world to the internal world. In Bartleby, the world plays little impact and instead focuses on human motivations, which happen to also be unlearnable due to Bartleby simply not desiring to share.
It would be a mistake to look at Bartleby as a handbook for resisting oppression considering how lenient his boss is, and how Bartleby concludes by perishing in prison despite resisting society.
a lesson in patience ...perhaps we should all study.
Like your Description about SK, pondering the connexion w Bartleby.
Nice prasantation
I guess we're not going to talk about the fact that Greg Brady is in this movie (20:00 minute mark).
Nice, i knew i recognized that person, would have never figured out who it was.
I'm no expert, but I thoroughly enjoyed the director's sensibilities, particularly in the editing department. So whatever sway the director has over editing--that is, deciding how quickly to cut a scene, whether to fade in or out, etc.--it was cut I think for the effect of dark humor, which creates a kind of silent hilarity, does it not? Perhaps only one or two in a crowd would laugh together, but the cuts' intentional brevity, along with the general economy that must be considered in turning an already short story into a short film, brings the same delight as does hearing a joke told by a master joke teller. (Told by anyone less it's simply not as funny.)
For instance, the scene wherein Gingernut turns back at the camera when receiving news of another tenant's having run out of patience. Or how the news is read aloud of his imprisonment. Economy, effectivity, whatever this is called, it reminds me of some other favorite 70s movies: "The Longest Yard"; M.A.S.H.; Papillion...
In short, the film is very smart. It respects the intelligence of the audience and decides like some head of a community the best way to proceed in order to most efficiently and effectively tell the tale. What is left out from Melville's own marvelous and omniscient voice, is done so realizing this commensurately important fact, I think.
Bartleby has fully realized that life is purposeless if death is the end.
Not relly, based on the assessment of kriekergard from the effect of losing meaning in life, he has to find that meaning. It is not purposeless if kriekergard is right, only if nitzche or camus are.
@@Aceshot-uu7yx It's Schopenhauer that is right. In fact, Bartleby acts pretty much like Schopenhauer's 'will-denier' would do.
@@francisdec1615 kriekergard is the one mentioned in the description, not Schopenhauer. Also does schopenhauer believe all things are ultimately meaningless, because if do congratulations for on being ahead but if not, then he would be right alongside kriekergard.
@@Aceshot-uu7yx Kierkegaard has nothing to do with this. Craig Campbell is mistaken. Yes, Schopenhauer's whole philosophy is about everything being meaningless.
@@francisdec1615 what does schopenhauer have to do with this? Is it him that is mistaken or you?
I watched this movie in my HS Lit class in the 90s. I remember another movie that I can’t find anywhere and don’t know the title of: it was about this man that got hired as a hired hand in the 1800s. He had harmonicas and the farmers kids messed them up. This guy raised good crops though and the farmer liked him. After many years a bounty hunter came and tried to capture him.
That’s all I remember. Wring any bells with anyone?
Should have taken the Bartender gig. I had a blast tending bar 😂
5:46 Gingernut is Greg Brady?
Yep.
This is how I pictured Nippers, Ginger Nut and Turkey lol
wow, this was really weird and depressing.
2:04 music sets in
Is not this movie missing his final point. I read the book long ago and as I recall, at the end Bartleby history is revealed. Apparently he worked at a government post that receive and disposition mail that could never be delivered. As I recall this was somewhat pivotal to the central theme which remained underdeveloped until that point. ???
i dont think it's that pivotal to his character. honestly it just seemed like a bit of gallows humor
Peter Davis I believe without the revealing of his previous job at the dead letter dept the story makes no sense. Hence all the confused comments here. I can't believe that's not in this
I agree, I wish they would have made a short bit of a flashback of Bartleby working at the Dead Letter office. I think they left it out because of the way the narration changes at the end of the original story as he reveals Bartleby's previous job which immensely helps the reader understand why he is the way he is. After reading the story, I thought to myself "That explains a lot" and it shed more light on Bartleby's character. The ending information is, in my opinion crucial to the story, in regards to background and addition to the plot. Without it, the reader would have little-to-no inclinations as to what was wrong with him. I very much so enjoyed this story. Watching this short film made the story easier for me to understand and also less bland through the second reading.
No, he's just tired of life. The dead letter office is just a bit additional gallows humour.
2:06 This beat goes crazy🔥🔥🔥
"The first filmed adaptation was by the Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation in 1969; adapted, produced & directed by Larry Yust and starring James Westerfield, Patrick Campbell, and Barry Williams of The Brady Bunch fame in a small role." Wikipedia. (As for the up-loader thinking it a British production, the Encyclopædia Britannica has been American since 1901.)
I saw this adaptation of Bartelby the Scrivener in High School English in the 80s
Best piece of sonic underground lore
LMFAO ?????
“He’s asleep ain’t he”?
“With Kings and Counselors “
That is Barry Williams from the Brady Bunch I believe!
Yes, ma'am.
"Well then, I prefer to get someone else to do your job."
The description is confusing. What has Kierkegaard got to do with this?
@20:41 "I prefer not too." ROLL CREDITS ...THE END.
Hits different after working your full time job 😅
Bartley, the highest level of spiritual (and psychological) enlightenment you can attain in this life. :)
I would prefer not
Or the lowest. Or both simultaneously.
Bartleby is everything to everyone at all times.
What's all the stuff about Kierkegaard for? Am I missing something?
Is this book about Kierkegaard? Or Goethe?
@@skwbtm1 neither. It’s about Melville’s disappointing career as a writer. His books (including his Opus, “Moby Dick”) we’re commercial failures
Can someone explain how the wikipedia entry for Kierkegaard relates to this post? Thanks. And thanks for uploading.
+I. Fischer-tree I think the story was about Soren Kierkegaard or more likely Johann Goethe.
+I. Fischer-tree The story is an early, per-Kierkegaard, example of existentialism. The story encapsulates many of K's themes. I could expand on this explanation, but I prefer not to.
+I. Fischer-tree There's more to Kierkegaard than I care to say. Read Either/Or, the first part. A's similarities to Bartleby are startling. Look too at Repetition, Bartleby's theme is a constant recurrence to Kierkegaard's writings and I have recently wondered whether or not Melville himself was inspired by reading Kierkegaard since they both belong to their same period. But Kierkegaard wrote in Danish so there was no way but it's eerie the connections you can make. Take my word on this one or message me if you wish to know more details.
+I. Fischer-tree There's more to Kierkegaard than I care to say. Read Either/Or, the first part. A's similarities to Bartleby are startling. Look too at Repetition, Bartleby's theme is a constant recurrence to Kierkegaard's writings and I have recently wondered whether or not Melville himself was inspired by reading Kierkegaard since they both belong to their same period. But Kierkegaard wrote in Danish so there was no way but it's eerie the connections you can make. Take my word on this one or message me if you wish to know more details.
+George Olivas Kierkegaard was translated into German and French early and many Americans read German and French.
dos ne1 else think bartleby kinda looks like a off put abe lincon
Why can't I share this minor masterpiece on Facebook?
It should be shareable.
Damn it feels to be a Bartleby.
In class doing a essay on this right now lmao
To all the failed misinterpretations coupled with the empathising of Bartelby as a victim, there is another perspective “Don’t be Bartelby”. And another also important “you can’t help people who doesn’t want to be helped”.
Encyclopedia Britannica made fantastic films for schools although nothing produced for public schools are terrible now.
9th grade English final was based on Bartleby
I have an interview which is a huge opportunity to be a paralegal tomorrow. As a joke i will tell them i am not like bartleby the scrivener perhaps if things are going well.
Why do I feel bad for the boss?
He's a good man. Most successful lawyers wouldn't have that patience and tolerance, neither today nor in 1853.
C'est un texte magnifique. Dire non ! Aussi simplement. Les artistes sont toujours en avance sur le cours du monde. Et là terriblement. 1853. Ca me fait un effet terrible. Maurice Ronet en a fait un film, je me réjouis de le voir.
Can someone help me with the rising action, climax, falling action and resolution please, its for my english hw and i dont understand.
🗝"It is not seldom the case that when a man is browbeaten in some unprecedented and violently unreasonable way, he begins to stagger in his own plainest faith. He begins, as it were, vaguely to surmise that, wonderful as it may be, all the justice and all the reason is on the other side. Accordingly, if any disinterested persons are present, he turns to them for some reinforcement for his own faltering mind."
-Herman Melville (b. Aug 1, 1819, New York-Sept 28, 1891) p 11-2 "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" (1853)
RUclips is wonderful. Just think: an excellent dramatization of "Bartleby" at my fingertips. Thank you.
Well. That escalated slowly.
The grub man looked like Brian Denehy.
This took place in a time before "fuck off" was invented.
This short movie seems like an episode of Tales from the Darkside or Twilight Zone.
I like Stephen King's analysis of this novel in "Bag of Bones".
What was his analysis?
Bartleby, says King, is the first existential character in American fiction: a man virtually adrift, with no family, no ties to anyone. He's tied to life only by his work. In this respect, he's a 20th century American type - King compares him with Michael Corleone in The Godfather and Sloan Wilson's Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. But then, Bartleby begins to lose faith in this work, King refers to this as the God of middle class American males. That's why he starts saying "I prefer not to". King asks the listener to think of Bartleby as a hot air balloon, tethered to the earth by one rope: his work, and we can measure the rot in that rope by the steadily increasing number of things Bartleby would prefer not to do. At last the rope breaks and away he floats. (You'll float too ;-)) When you read reviews of Bag of Bones, you'll see that a lot of people say that Bartleby was the inspiration for Bag of Bones, and that the true theme of the book is writer's block. I don't know about that: you can certainly see the analysis of Bartleby in the book placed very close to the description of the narrator's writer's block. What resonated with me is the description of work as being a God. King understands that your God is whatever rules your thoughts at any given time. If you are a young mother and you spend all of your time thinking about your child, your baby is your god; if you are a teenage boy in love for the first time, the object of your love is your god; if you are a nun in a convent and spend hours every day meditating on the trinity, that is your god. But for an increasing number of people work has become the main thing that gives their lives meaning and purpose. There's a thin line between worship and addiction: you can work idolatrously. You can treat your job as though it were your higher power, allowing it to make choices for you - where you go, how you spend your time, how you speak and think, what you think about most of the time - the choices that a God makes for you. Bartleby who is a monotheist, loses his faith in his god, and has nothing left to hold him to existence. End of essay.
Thanks for the great reply. I think it was Goethe he was referring to.
@@tomsdottir Seems like a bit of stretch to me. He is simply a man who laid down. Happens to a lot of people really.
@@scottrc5391 Yes, he doesn't want to live anymore, so he doesn't want to work either. King is only trying to sound smarter than he is as usual.
this was an unusual role for james westerfield, no?
When/where did he shave/bathe/poop?
The younger clerk looks like Greg Brady
yes, that's barry williams as ginger nut.
That was so funny!
10:35
I'm gonna start saying that to people
In high school, in California, the entire school had to watch this film. It was the last hurrah of a once great public school system. Three years later they started teaching "Social Studies", where we were getting taught about climate change (back then it was the coming ice age), the running out of fossil fuel by 2000, and $5/gal gasoline which it always seems to take a Democratic president to get us close to the mark the socialists pray for, apparently. We also got taught about Malthusian theory and other things I didn't see any reason for us learning. (Civics was thrown out and replaced with Social Studies.) Movies like this got tossed on the ash heap. My Social Studies teacher showed us films about the rise of neo-Nazis and how we must watch for white supremacist groups. In retrospect, it's quite obvious that was the tiny seeds of what became "woke" culture 35-40 years later. BTW, I got a D, the only D I ever got, for asking my teacher to tell the class what the point of all this was. Driver's Ed or Math or History or English, PE, foreign languages, all had an obvious purpose, but this class didn't. I bugged my very young male teacher with many friendly jests (I thought of them as that) but we all thought he felt it was funny himself. Nope. for him it was a threat, all my questions. I did all my homework and my projects. It was my attitude. I also had a young art teacher who flatly told my blonde blue-eyed best friend that by 2050, blondes would be rare and by 2100, all the Nordic peoples would be almost extinct. (he was 1/2 black, 1/2 Japanese).
Thanks for your story (~:)
I PREFER the play a bit more just because its a little more thorough and explains everything a bit more.
This is a story about untreated clinical depression. (There was none in 1840) He works hard at first and then gives up and becomes hopeless. He cannot give voice to his feelings but tries to communicate how desperate his situation is through bizarre behaviour. How he got that way is not revealed. The "dead letter" job which he held previously is not essential to the story. Melville was more intelligent than intending that the reader chalk it all up to some simplistic past fact.
There was no untreated clinical depression in 1840?
제발 한국어로 해석좀 해주라 뭐라는 거야?
Was Bartleby insane?
+Celeste Sanchez yes!
No he was more of a rebel against the capitalist society
No
Certainly fits the story. The main story is the boss and how he is affected and tries to convince himself Bartleby is not his problem. The movie with David Paymer does a great job and is very entertaining at the same time! And the crucial last sentence of the story is included.
Bartelby was ahead of his time in legal proceedings. Amanda rights.
Lord? …, were I given the chance to I'd definitely like to watch this movie with The #emilyLinge🤷🏼♀
This remains thoroughly subversive to the present day, maybe even more so than it was in Melville's day, when, at least in the USA, comparisons were often made between employment (as opposed to self-employment) and slavery. Thomas Jefferson advocated a society of yeoman farmers partially because he believed a republic couldn't be run by employees, but required the responsibility of the self-employed. Bartleby is so subversive, many people commenting on this video don't want to even humor Bartleby's attitude for the sake of the point being made. Others jump to pathologizing Bartleby as autistic. The point is that most of us are Bartleby on some level, we just would prefer not to admit it.
Would you "prefer not to" have a job?
Yes
I understand that he didn't want to conform to culture but he was being way too unreasonable
Yeah, I agree - Bartleby kinda seemed like a dick
How? He wasn't particular.
I was expecting some kind of supernatural twist at the end, just because I saw no other way to make sense of what was going on. He could've displayed SOME emotion, SOMETHING to help me understand what's going on here. I mean, depression is the answer by process of elimination I guess, but jesus. There must've been hints in the book that were lost in translation...
EDIT: Make that psychotic depression.
Some scholars said that Bartleby was an angel sent down to show the lawyer his own humanity which separated the lawyer from his own peers who appeared to be more heartless and cold. There's a scene in the film in which Bartleby turned his back to the lawyer only to see the lawyer's shocked face. Perhaps Bartleby took his shirt off to expose his wings. Melville often had a way of being subliminal in his writings, such as "Moby Dick". So the supernatural element cannot be ruled out in this story. Bartleby is definitely a type of messenger foretelling the truth of what is right and what is corrupt, and perhaps we are corrupting ourselves? A perfect social commentary of the ages.