May 21 Response

Every single person in this world is different. We all have different views, different political opinions, and different ways of dealing with life, a concept that is clearly conveyed through Melville and Ginsberg’s works, “Bartleby the Scrivener” and “Sunflower Sutra.”

In Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener,” a man named Bartleby begins work on Wall Street in New York as a copyist. The lawyer who Bartleby starts working for (and who narrates the story) immediately states that the “easiest way of life is best.” However, an easy life is far from what he receives when Bartleby comes to work. His first description of Bartleby is “pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, incurably forlorn!” Immediately, the lawyer has taken an interest and established curiosity towards Bartleby because he is different from his other workers: Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut, who all have a lot of personality. Although Bartleby initially completes all his given tasks, whenever asked to do any additional work, he replies, “I would prefer not to” and he calmly refuses to conform to the work that he is assigned. The lawyer states that if it were anyone else, he would have chastised him, “but there was something about Bartleby that not only disarmed me, but in a wonderful manner touched and disconcerted me.” Bartleby’s refusal to conform ignited a curiosity and shock in those around him because he was not conforming to “the norm.” The lawyer describes Bartleby’s non-conforming actions and states, “nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance.” This was the first time that the lawyer had encountered an outcast – someone who did everything on his own terms, someone who was stubborn, and someone who seemed to not care less about what others thought, which utterly baffled the lawyer. In this case, Bartleby does not celebrate being an outcast, as he “sat in his hermitage, oblivious to everything but his own peculiar business.” Bartleby does not seem to mind being lonely or different, and does not appear to think that being an outcast is a difficult endeavor. Instead, it is just his own way of life, which he appears to find contentment. The lawyer is ponderous and concerned for Bartleby’s way of life as Bartleby continues to refuse to answer any question or complete any task. The lawyer struggles to find a connection with Bartleby by recognizing that “both I and Bartleby were sons of Adam” and feels sorry for him. The benefit of Bartleby’s non-conformity is that he celebrates his individuality without sacrificing who he is and what he believes in. However, the pitfall of Bartleby’s non-conformity is that he is so extreme in his convictions that it isolates him from the world, to the point where, even when offered help (like when the lawyer offers him his own home to sleep in), he refuses it. This story shows that there needs to be a balance between celebrating individuality and respecting the surrounding society and environment. My question is, why is Bartleby so stubborn? Why does he refuse EVERYTHING offered or asked of him? Does he enjoy having people feel sorry for him or is he truly oblivious to his surroundings?

Ginsberg’s “Sunflower Sutra” portrays a very different perspective on individuality. The difference with this poem from Bartleby’s story is that the “outcast” character, Ginsberg, is not alone (as Bartleby was). Instead, Ginsberg is one of many, including his friend Jack Kerouac, that are “outcasts” refusing to conform to a conservative lifestyle. He uses a metaphor to describe his “beat” feeling, saying that he was “bleak and blue and sad-eyed, surrounded by the gnarled steel roots of trees of machinery.” I think he used this metaphor because gnarled tree roots conveys a feeling of being suffocated and “tied down” from the rising conservativism. The youtube video also portrays many scenes with pollution and trash, which not only reflects the politics of the era, but also Ginsberg’s feelings. He feels that it is a difficult endeavor to be so outcasted. As the poem goes on, however, a sunflower is mentioned, and every time the sunflower is mentioned, I feel that Ginsberg is celebrating his liberal lifestyle and non-conformity. He writes, “a perfect excellent lovely sunflower existence! A sweet natural eye to the new him moon, woke up alive and excited.” The drugs and careless way of life leads Ginsberg to appreciate an essence of spirituality that he appears to lack in sobriety. The benefits of his non-conformity is that he is his own person, and among a crowd of conservatives, is able to speak his mind and trek down his own spiritual path. However, the pitfalls of his non-conformity is that he is leading a lifestyle that does not contribute to society. Drugs, careless sex, and abusive alcoholic patterns can be detrimental to those around him, as it often leads to ignorant or aggressive behaviors. I had a hard time analyzing the specific meaning of each line of this poem – why does he keep referencing locomotives? Is that a symbol for a pathway out of the conservative era?
Overall, I feel that this reminds me of politics in America. It seems to me that there are two extremes – someone is either democratic or republican. In these stories, people are either “normal” or an extreme “outcast.” Everything in life needs balance. The “normal” people are too afraid to be individuals for fear of being judged, and the “outcast” people are so extreme that they refuse to consider their actions’ impact on society. I think we all need to establish a balance that enables everyone to be themselves and speak their minds without being chastised for being different.