Bartleby And A Gathering Of Old Men
In life there are many types of people. Some people live life to the fullest while others end up making their lives miserable by refusing to fit into society. Most of the time society has an affect on people's relationships, many human beings have relationships where they fall in love or form strong friendships; however some people reject all connections with others. Through these events and actions it can be seen that Candy, a major character in The Gathering of Old Men by Ernest J. Gaines and Bartleby, the protagonist in "Bartleby" by Herman Melville, have conflicting manners of dealing with life. Bartleby and Candy have completely opposite approaches to life: Bartleby appears to be ...
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copies, the copies," said I hurriedly.
"We are going to examine them. There" and I held towards him the fourth quadruplicate.
"I would prefer not to," he said, and gently disappeared behind the screen.
"Why do you refuse?"
"I would prefer not to"(20).
Bartleby's actions show that he is an outcast of society. His attitude toward his work is symbolic of his alienation from life. He prefers not to work or live. In fact, he refuses to become involved in even the most ordinary aspects of living. Bartleby's estrangement from life eventually causes his own imprisonment. In prison when Bartleby's employer visits Bartleby the jailer tells him, how strange Bartleby is: "Does he want to starve? If he does, let him live on the prison fare, that's all" (27). Bartleby's apathy towards his life can be seen in his eating habits. At the end of the short story, Bartleby dies from starvation resulting from his lack of interest in living. In contrast to Bartleby, Candy is very passionate ...
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out their job the way they are told; Bartleby, however, does not follow these rules, choosing to ignore society instead. His reaction to society's rules clearly shows that he cannot function in his society and makes him a total outcast. In contrast to Bartleby, Candy is an integral part of her community. Enmeshed and respected in her society, she is even able to create and lead a small revolt: "No, I won't let them harm my people," she said. "I will protect my people. My daddy and all them before him did, and I-I'll stand alone," she said. "Before I let them harm my people, I'll stand alone."(19) Candy is willing to fight alone for her people. Having respect, possessing kindness, ...
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"Bartleby And A Gathering Of Old Men." Essayworld.com. December 16, 2007. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Bartleby-And-A-Gathering-Old-Men/75936.
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