Short Fiction · Character

The Narrator (Bartleby)

A prudent Wall Street lawyer who prizes comfort and method above all, until a pale young scrivener's quiet refusals begin to dismantle his well-ordered peace.

major

Also known as Unknown, the man, this man

First appearance: Bartleby

As a major figure in Short Fiction, The Narrator (Bartleby) is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The elderly lawyer who employs Bartleby and narrates the story.

In the storyBartlebyOpen this moment free

He is an elderly, unambitious attorney who has spent thirty years among rich men's bonds and mortgages, cultivating the easiest way of life and a reputation as an eminently safe man. When he hires Bartleby, he expects another silent copyist; instead he gets a presence that will not be managed, and his own mild, self-satisfied charity is slowly forced into confrontation with something it cannot name. His baffled, increasingly personal attempts to reason with Bartleby are the engine of the story, turning a comic office anecdote into a meditation on what one man owes another.

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Character Web

31 connections

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Relationship types

Professional
Psychological
Rivalry
Other

Character groups

Protagonist
Office and Social Contrasts
Isolated and Oppressed Figures

+26 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt marks the climax because it reveals the story’s central psychological and moral crisis: the unres…

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Relationships

Bartleby
professional · ambivalent
The narrator employs Bartleby as a scrivener, but their relationship becomes strained by… How this plays out →
Oberlus
psychological · negative
Turkey
professional · ambivalent
The Lightning-Rod Man
rivalry · negative
Hautboy
social · positive
Jimmy Rose
friendship · ambivalent
The Stranger
social · ambivalent
Blandmour
social · ambivalent
Merrymusk
social · positive
Bartleby
professional · ambivalent
The narrator employs Bartleby as a scrivener, but their relationship becomes strained by… How this plays out →
Turkey
professional · ambivalent
Hautboy
social · positive

Bartleby
The narrator employs Bartleby as a scrivener, but their relationship becomes strained by Bartleby's passive resistance and the narrator's growing obsession.
Oberlus
Oberlus, a misanthropic hermit, serves as a dark mirror to the Bartleby narrator's own tendencies toward withdrawal and alienation.
Turkey
Turkey is one of the narrator's scriveners, whose erratic behavior (productive in the morning, sloppy in the afternoon) tests the narrator's patience.
The Lightning-Rod Man
The Lightning-Rod Man aggressively tries to sell his wares to the narrator, creating a tense and adversarial encounter.
Hautboy
Hautboy is a cheerful, contented acquaintance of the narrator, representing a contrast to the narrator's own melancholy.
Jimmy Rose
Jimmy Rose is a former wealthy friend who falls into poverty, and the narrator visits him with a mixture of pity and nostalgia.
The Stranger
The Stranger is an enigmatic figure who interacts with the narrator, often prompting reflections on isolation and human connection.
Blandmour
Blandmour is a naive optimist who insists on the goodness of nature and humanity, contrasting with the narrator's darker views.
Merrymusk
Merrymusk is a poor but cheerful sailor and father whose resilience impresses the narrator, despite his tragic circumstances.
Bartleby
The narrator employs Bartleby as a scrivener, but their relationship becomes strained by Bartleby's passive resistance and the narrator's growing obsession.
Turkey
Turkey is one of the narrator's scriveners, whose erratic behavior (productive in the morning, sloppy in the afternoon) tests the narrator's patience.
Hautboy
Hautboy is a cheerful, contented acquaintance of the narrator, representing a contrast to the narrator's own melancholy.

Relationship notes

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In the story

The Narrator (Bartleby) appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Bartleby

Chapter companion notes

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