Bartleby the Scrivener Quiz and Flashcards

Study Notes

Herman Melville is the author of the novel Moby Dick and the short story Bartleby, the Scrivener.

Moby Dick was initially received with negativity.
The narrator of Moby Dick is Ishmael.
The main theme discovered in Moby Dick upon its rediscovery is the struggle between man and nature.

The main character in Bartleby, the Scrivener is a scrivener.
The description of Wall Street as a 'wall' symbolizes the barriers and obstacles in life.
The narrator of Bartleby, the Scrivener believes himself to be kind and benevolent, but his actions contradict this belief.
The narrator struggles to handle Bartleby's refusal to work because it disrupts the office routine and challenges his authority.
The narrator's perception of Bartleby changes from seeing him as a productive employee to seeing him as a problem that needs to be solved.
Bartleby's preference to 'not' work symbolizes the rejection of societal expectations and the search for individual freedom.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was interested in the Salem witch trials because he was a descendant of Judge John Hathorne, who played a significant role in the trials.
Utopian settlements like Brook Farm, which Hawthorne was a part of, were characterized by their communal living and shared labor.
The Puritans aimed to achieve a religious and social utopia by going to America.
Nathaniel Hawthorne realized that his ancestor, Judge John Hathorne, was involved in the Salem witch trials and felt guilty about it.
The court in Salem mainly used "touching tests" to accuse women of witchcraft, which involved touching the accused to see if they felt any pain.