"At present I would prefer not to be a little reasonable," was his mildly cadaverous reply.
I chose this passage because I love it! I can relate to this. It is something I would love to say every day! I believe this sentence is so important and holds so much meaning for this story because it is the essence of Bartleby. This is the life he has chosen, only to do what he prefers and when pressed to not even have to be a little reasonable.
It is a choice we make every day to do what is reasonable. On some level society decides what is reasonable for us. Is it truly reasonable to set at a desk for 12 - 14 hours a day copying papers for someone else? I can see how it would seem to me to be more reasonable for myself to desire to stare out the window and daydream of being somewhere else or someone else.
Yes in the end he does refuse to eat and lets his body weaken to the point of passing away. Isn't that what he preferred to do? He chose what he wanted to do, he chose not to eat and he chose to pass into the next life. That is what he preferred to do.
Maybe he decided he would like that a great deal better that working for minimum wage or less for the rest of his life copying boring papers for someone else.
As far as the language in this sentence, I question "his mildly cadaverous reply" the story tells us he himself was cadaverous, was his reply cadaverous or just mild?
THats a very interesting reply. and i also think its a valid one. Its amazing how people take a story 2 diffrent ways. i hadnt thought that Bartleby was just doing what he wanted to do, rather that he was depressed and a sallow sulking man. I think that youre on to something. And by the way, i agree some of the things that we consider "reasonable" today are simply absurd, i would love to tell my boss, im sorry, but i'd prefer not to.
ReplyDeleteGood analysis