Bartleby the Scrivener Themes
Choices
One of the things that make us human is our ability to make complex choices, even about the simplest of things. We don't always just do what we "should" do, and sometimes our most unconventional de...
Rules and Order
Whether or not we realize it, our everyday lives are dictated by a complex network of rules and regulations. For the most part, even the extremely independent-minded among us still do the things we...
Language and Communication
Slogans are everywhere. They jump out at us from commercials, from billboards, from t-shirts – really, they're all over the place. And why are they effective? Well, simply because the more yo...
Isolation
We'll just put this out there: Bartleby is a guy that lives alone in his workplace. He sleeps, eats, shaves, and hangs out in his cubicle. He has no friends. He has no family. He doesn't even have...
Morality and Ethics
Once you read "Bartleby the Scrivener," you'll never really shake it off – trust us on this one. We here at Shmoop first read it back in high school, and it's still lingering uncomfortably in...