Alienation in the Short Fiction of Heman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne

In society there are people who do things that are not considered to be the norm. Why these people do the things they do is a constant topic of debate and discussion In Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil" the main characters make decisions that the rest of society do not agree with. Their decisions are controversial and problematic to the people around them. Although both short stories focus on men who have are alienated from society, Hawthorne's The Minister's Black Veil and Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener differ in theme and character motivation.

"Bartleby the Scrivener" is the story of an unusual relationship between a man and his employer. Bartleby is the man who for reasons unknown to the reader and the Lawyer, his employer, has chosen to alienate himself from society around him. This desire is manifested in his refusal to complete and task posed to him by the Lawyer. When asked to perform these various tasks, Bartleby simply responds by saying that he prefers not to. This is first exhibited when the Lawyer asks him to examine a particular document. Previously, Bartleby has copied documents with no hesitation. But on this particular day, he chooses not to. Bartleby is very polite in his rejection to authority. He refuses with such calmness and tranquility that the Lawyer is unsure how to react to the situation:

...Imagine my surprise, nay, my consternation, when without moving from his privacy, Bartleby in a singularly mild, firm voice, replied, "I would prefer not to."

I sat awhile in perfect silence, rallying my stunned faculties. Immediately it occurred to me that my ears had deceived me, or Bartleby has had entirely misunderstood my meaning. I repeated my request in the clearest tone I could assume. But in quite as clear a one came the previous replay, "I would prefer not to." (Melville 10-11)

By refusing to participate in the daily activities of the other scriveners in the office, Bartleby ultimately alienate himself from his coworkers and the Lawyer. The other workers become resentful and annoyed at his actions or lack thereof.

Melville's characterization of the Lawyer is just as pivotal to the story as that of Bartleby. The story is told through his point of view. From the Lawyer's narration, we learn of his selfless desire to save Bartleby. Despite Bartleby's resistance, the Lawyers pities him: "Poor fellow! Thought I, he means no mischief; it is plain he intends no insolence;...If I turn him away, the chances are he will fall in with some less indulgent employer, and then he will be rudely treated, and perhaps driven forth miserably to starve" (Melville 13). The Lawyer feels various emotions from irritation to sympathy while deciding how to handle Bartleby. His reaction to Bartleby is marked by altruism and charity. Although the Lawyer would be well within his rights to fire Bartleby, he does not. Instead, he tries to help, by allowing Bartley to practically live in the office. The Lawyer is dictated by a moral and religious duty to lend a hand to his fellow man and acknowledges that they are both "sons of Adam"(Melville 17). However, he soon realizes that his crusade to save Bartleby is a futile fight. Bartleby is set in his ways and rejects all of the Lawyers attempts to make him a charity case.

Throughout the story, Melville uses various food references to emphasis the theme and to serve as motivation to the characters. The two most prevalent uses of food references are the names of the two other employers, Turkey and Ginger Nut. Also, Bartleby uses food as a weapon against himself. One day the Lawyers notices that Bartleby only eats the snack given to him by Ginger Nut. He comments on how he has never seen him eat dinner or anything else other that nuts: "He lives then, on ginger-nuts thought I; never eats a dinner, properly speaking; he must be a vegetarian then, but no; he never eats even vegetables, he eats only ginger-nuts" (Melville 13). Bartleby's self denial of food is significant because it is the ultimate cause of his demise. His starvation in the end it his last attempt to control a situation in which he feels powerless in. By preferring not to eat, Bartleby pursues his final and most drastic alienation tactic, death.

There is never any explanation given for Bartleby's actions. However, perhaps the most insightful look into the true character of Bartleby comes in the form of a rumor: "The report was this: that Bartleby had been a subordinate clerk in the Dead Letter Office at Washington, from which he had been suddenly removed by a change in administration" (Melville 34). The Lawyer was disturbed by the thought that all Bartleby did was handle and burn the mail intended for the recently deceased. Even after all that he and Bartleby had been through, he was still intrigued by the strange man. Throughout the story, Bartleby's desire for alienation is constantly combated by the Lawyer's self-less desire to save him. His repeated attempts to reach out to Bartleby exemplify his "I am my brother's keeper" spirit. Although Melville does not clearly state it, he leaves the Lawyer and the reader thinking that perhaps Bartleby's previous job has caused his dissent into his subsequent withdrawal from society.

Whereas Bartleby's alienation stems from his displeasure with society, in Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil," Father Hooper's alienation results from his displeasure with himself. He is adamant about repenting for an unknown sin and dons a black veil as an ever-present sign of his secret. Being an honorable and pious man, Father Hooper refuses to inform the people of his society what his exact sin is or why he has chosen to express it in such a public form. However, Father Hooper is distraught over the effect that the veil has on the one he loves, namely Elizabeth. When she questions him about the veil, he is unable to answer her:

'Lift the veil but once, and look me in the face,' said she.

'Never! It cannot be! Replied Mr. Hooper.

'Then, farewell!' said Elizabeth

She withdrew her arm from his grasp...But, even amid his grief, Mr. Hooper smiled to think that only a material emblem had separated him from happiness, though the horrors which it shadowed forth, must be drawn darkly between the fondest of lovers. (Hawthorne 102)

Through Hawthorne's detailed insight into the thoughts of the minister, the reader knows that whatever the sin is, he is unwilling to reveal it. His decision not to reveal the nature of his sin and secret add to the mystery of the short story and leave the readers wondering what would cause a seemingly good man to act in such a drastic way.

The parishioners also play a significant role in Father Hooper's alienation. Whereas the Lawyer tries to reach out to Bartleby, the parishioners discuss and gossip about Father Hooper's predicament without offering any type of resolution: "...the people hurried out with indecourous confusion, eager to communicate their pent-up amazement, and conscious of lighter spirits, the moment they lost sight of the black veil...It was remarkable, that, of all the busy-bodies and impertinent people in the parish, not one ventured to put the plain question to Mr. Hooper, wherefore he did this thing" (Hawthorne 99-101). This passage is ironic, because the Puritans were supposedly a very religious and heavenly-minded group of people, however, Hawthorne portrays them as very hypocritical. In contrast, Melville exemplifies charitable works and good deeds in "Bartleby the Scrivener" a "Story of Wall-Street" (Melville 3). The actions of the parishioners exhibit their inability to confront their own sin. The minister's veil reminds them that they are all capable of sin.

The veil that covers the face of Father Hooper symbolizes various issues that relate to the overall them of the work. As the source of the town's terror, the veil is the ultimate cause of the minister's isolation from society. The veil " ...Mr. Hooper's conscience tortured him for some great crime, too horrible to be entirely concealed...from beneath the black veil, there rolled a cloud into the sunshine, an ambiguity of sin or sorrow, which enveloped the poor minister, so that love or sympathy could never reach him" (Hawthorne 104). The veil takes away all hope for human connection. Father Hooper becomes a complete and separate entity within his society. The veil takes on its own life and all of his parishioners become engrossed and overwhelmed with it. The give the veil power over the minister and themselves.

By giving the veil so much power, Hawthorne acknowledges that everyone is with sin. The minister confronts his sin and takes steps to come to terms with it. However the parishioners choose to ignore their own sin and only focus on that of the minister. The veil is test to both the minister and the parishioners. The minister is able to accept responsibility, although it ultimately costs him everything. But the parishioners are not able to accept that sin is a part of everyone.

Alienation, whether imposed by self or society, can have adverse effects in an individual. Both Melville and Hawthorne address this in totally different ways. However, essentially after reading the works of both authors one is left questioning how much we really know about the people around us and what motivates them to do the things that they do.

Works Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Minister's Black Veil." Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tales. Ed. James McIntosh. New York: Norton, 1987.

Melville, Herman. "Bartleby the Scrivener." Melville's Short Novels. Ed. Dan McCall. New York: Norton, 2002.