- description
- # Bartleby's Refusal to Write
## Overview
This section, titled "Bartleby's Refusal to Write," is an excerpt from the short story "Bartleby" by Herman Melville. It details a pivotal moment where the titular character, Bartleby, informs the narrator that he will no longer engage in writing or copying. The text spans from line 1476 to 1506 of the source file.
## Context
This section is part of the chapter titled "[Bartleby](arke:01KG8AJK1PKEBJJCANV911N8JS)," which is itself contained within the larger collection "[Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW)." The text was extracted from the file "[the_piazza_tales.txt](arke:01KG89J1F4D8P9BBX9AMGZ7TX7)." This section follows "[Narrator's attempts to dismiss Bartleby and Bartleby's continued refusals](arke:01KG8AK413B1B5DE657R62VJZ2)" and precedes "[Escalation of Idleness and Dismissal Attempt](arke:01KG8AK413DHMTKDQ5VF1Q3FCT)."
## Contents
The narrative focuses on the narrator's interaction with Bartleby after noticing his unusual idleness. Bartleby states his decision to cease all writing, attributing it to his perceived vision impairment. Despite the narrator's sympathy and suggestions for exercise, Bartleby remains inactive. The narrator's attempts to have Bartleby perform simple tasks, such as delivering mail, are also met with refusal, highlighting Bartleby's increasing inflexibility and the growing predicament for the narrator.
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- 2026-01-30T20:48:53.373Z
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- description_title
- Bartleby's Refusal to Write
- end_line
- 1506
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:52.603Z
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- start_line
- 1476
- text
- The next day I noticed that Bartleby did nothing but stand at his
window in his dead-wall revery. Upon asking him why he did not write,
he said that he had decided upon doing no more writing.
“Why, how now? what next?” exclaimed I, “do no more writing?”
“No more.”
“And what is the reason?”
“Do you not see the reason for yourself,” he indifferently replied.
I looked steadfastly at him, and perceived that his eyes looked dull
and glazed. Instantly it occurred to me, that his unexampled diligence
in copying by his dim window for the first few weeks of his stay with
me might have temporarily impared his vision.
I was touched. I said something in condolence with him. I hinted that
of course he did wisely in abstaining from writing for a while; and
urged him to embrace that opportunity of taking wholesome exercise in
the open air. This, however, he did not do. A few days after this, my
other clerks being absent, and being in a great hurry to dispatch
certain letters by the mail, I thought that, having nothing else
earthly to do, Bartleby would surely be less inflexible than usual, and
carry these letters to the post-office. But he blankly declined. So,
much to my inconvenience, I went myself.
Still added days went by. Whether Bartleby’s eyes improved or not, I
could not say. To all appearance, I thought they did. But when I asked
him if they did, he vouchsafed no answer. At all events, he would do no
copying. At last, in reply to my urgings, he informed me that he had
- title
- Bartleby's Refusal to Write