Test post for English 48a, Melville

"Main Entry: lone·ly

1 a : being without company : lone b : cut off from others : solitary
2 : not frequented by human beings : desolate
3 : sad from being alone : lonesome
4 : producing a feeling of bleakness or desolation

synonyms see alone"

from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lonely


Melville's Bartleby is a lonely nobleman, that is to say he's lonely because he's the last of his kind. This story is more comedic than tragic but when read through the biography of Herman Melville is appears that Bartleby is a stand in for how Melville feels. Bartleby's issue is that he does not know what he wants or needs, only what he prefers or does not prefer. The biggest insight into the character comes at the end of story when the grub-man is saying how he thinks Bartleby was a gentleman liar. So Melville is writing about Bartleby who needs something but cannot communicate it, or prefer to, but is still trying to deceive others into having his way. The most profound image of this is in the one of the last paragraphs where Melville writes about the Egyptian surroundings and when the grub-man asks about Bartleby the narrator replies, "[He is] With kings and counsellors"(2388).
This ending has three possible meanings.
First it could mean that Bartleby has gone to hell with the other lying kings and counsellors.
Second that Bartleby was the last of the gentleman liars, destined to become like the pyramids; a moment of people long ago.
Or third, showing how Melville feels about himself. Isolated and lying, people in his life wind up leaving him alone until he dies.

P.S. Just for kicks here's a video showing what I mean about being lonely and having people leave.