Journal for Herman Melville

Gregory Alcala
English 48A
Journal for Melville
September 30th, 2009

Quote:
“’I prefer not to,’ he replied in a flute-like tone. It seemed to me that while I had been addressing him, he carefully revolved every statement that I made; fully comprehended the meaning; could not gainsay he irresistible conclusion…” -quoted from The Norton Anthology: American Literature 7th Edition Vol. B
Summary:
Melville short story, Bartleby, The Scrivener, is written in a narrative form. This quote shows Bartleby’s lack of excitement for his job. Melville described Bartleby as cadaver-like, I see in my mind’s eye an animated corpse doing the copying of legal documents. Without need of emotions, only doing the simple humdrum work. Melville is showing the major change in America of people moving into cities or the cities expanding further and the country side is being enveloped into cities. The jobs are changing to reflect the expansion of the cities. Farm work is being far less common and office work is normal. Bartleby is understanding of what his coworkers and employer is asking of him but Bartleby is not wanting to take part in it. Bartleby seems indifferent but when asked directly, Bartleby shows lack of interest in anything.

Quote:
“Herman created a refuge from this chaos in his second-floor library. Keeping to a regular writing schedule, he completed four novels, a collection of short stories, and 10 magazine pieces, as well as beginning work on a volume of poetry. The works Melville wrote at Arrowhead included Moby-Dick … “Bartleby the Scrivener.” Arrowhead influenced him greatly in his writing. The view of Mount Greylock from his study window, the one that brought him to Arrowhead, was said to be his inspiration for the white whale in Moby-Dick…” -quoted from the Berkshire Historical Society Herman Melville’s Arrowhead website (http://berkshirehistory.org/herman-melville/herman-melville-and-arrowhead/)
Summary:
Herman Melville was inspired by his surroundings and his past experiences in his writing. His first novel was fueled by his job on board a ship that took him around the South Seas. At his farm home at Arrowhead, a named Melville choose himself after finding an arrowhead while plowing, he wrote other novels which are rumored to have been influenced by his surroundings. Herman Melville wrote several more pieces of literature while staying at his farm, Arrowhead. It seems that without his visual aid and memories from his past he would not be able to create his literature.

Response:
Herman Melville’s works are famous around the world for their detail. The opening sentence to Moby Dick is famous for being so causal, as if he is speaking directly at the reader. I’m shocked that Moby Dick was not as famous when Melville was alive as it is seen now. It was probably ahead of it’s time and true art is not appreciated in that generation as it will be in later ones. If Melville drew from his own life experiences, Bartleby, The Scrivener, would seem to be Melville’s anger at the change of the working class in America. He wasn’t happy working in an office and Melville did have a government job given to him by his family. Melville died without getting the acclaim he was hoping his writing would bring him, but today writers and students of English see his work as inspirational.