Kara Ireland
Professor Winterhalter
ENGL 2112
October 9, 2017
Area 51: Alienation in Literature
Alienation is a multifaceted concept that many stories perpetuate in literature. Herman Melville and Aphra Behn are authors that differ significantly in their craft. Melville’s “Bartleby, The Scrivener” and Behn’s Oroonoko are of contradistinctive eras, themes, and styles. It requires in-depth scrutiny to discover how they might be likened to one another, and, alienation links them both. Exploring the genesis of alienation and the process by which it occurs includes assessing the dismantling of pride and how it forces the self inward, plus the fallacies of trust demonstrate how alienation works to connect these pieces of literature.
Bartleby has no depth as a static character. From what is provided in text, not much can be derived from his character. Naturally, the reader’s eye drifts towards the narrator, who demands attention because he is so concerned and bemused by his new hire. His persistent solicitude begs the scrutiny of Bartleby’s enigmatic character. Melville deprives the reader of context by restraining the point of view to first person. Bartleby’s meager refusal to work with or around his counterparts strikes the narrator as strange. When prompted to validate the narrator’s document, he replied with his infamous “I would prefer not to” (Melville 302). Bartleby has an unnatural tentativeness to him that perplexes the narrator. Alienation begins to rear its head here, with Bartleby politely declining to a reasonable request that pertained to his job as a scrivener.
Alternatively, Oroonoko was never of that seed. Being adorned with European features and part of the nobility, Oroonoko had scarcely known work. Benefitting from the hierarchy based on pigmentation skewed Oroonoko’s sense of self. Though he was African, he was praised for being beautiful in the European standard. The features of “perfect ebony, rising and Roman, instead of African and flat, far from those great turn'd lips” made Oroonoko more aesthetically pleasing (Behn 154). Behn could be held accountable for perpetuating this, with her excessive, trivial details of his physique. Her descriptions were not exclusive to him, she compared his features to the common negro and deemed those characteristics less beautiful. His isolation was instilled in him by the contrast in his appearance, thus indicating the treatment of him.
The full title of her piece is Oroonoko: or, The Royal Slave. The title is oxymoronic. One cannot truly be royal if they are a slave, and one cannot truly be a slave if they are deemed royalty. His morality differs from the common slaves because he does not experience life the way they do, although their identification is similar. That estrangement from reality is not his fault, but he was a victim of prejudice. While Bartleby’s alienation originated from his internal reservations, Oroonoko’s alienation began externally, with his pious counterparts.
Oroonoko had a profound sense of pride as a prince. More sentimental than his status of nobility, Oroonoko’s origins were from a nurturing place where all of his needs were met, as the narrator claimed it was “in perfect tranquility, and good understanding (Behn 150). Bartleby’s history is not provided, however, one might assume that he did not come from strong upbringings because of his poise. “I observed that he never went to dinner [...] he eats nothing but ginger-nuts” shows that he is self-sufficient as he mooches off of minimal food (Melville 304). Taking into consideration how the narrator “found a blanket [...] a blacking box and brush [...] soap and a ragged towel [...] a few crumbs of ginger-nuts and a morsel of cheese,” it appears that Bartleby has provided himself lodging within his working quarters (Melville 304). While Oroonoko’s pride did not solely come from his homeland, it did contribute to his character – having a residence grants one with a sense of security. Bartleby’s insecurities may stem from his lack of abode. Oroonoko had an inherent sense of home, whereas Bartleby had none.
Oroonoko was a man of hubris. For Oroonoko, his pride emanates from his autonomy – being a free man. “This cruel sentence, worse than death, they implor'd might be reversed” ensures that death was preferred over being enslaved (Behn 172). This universal knowledge in Coramantien prompted the king to falsely inform Oroonoko of Imoinda’s death, because “by no means he shou'd tell him she was sold, but secretly put to death: for he knew he should never obtain his pardon for the other” (Behn 173). Being captured and sold into slavery depleted his honor.
Similarly, Bartleby suffered from trauma that invalidated his pride. Bartleby was dignified by his copying. The narrator noted his compulsion by using descriptors like “famishing” and “[gorging]” (Melville 301). The deterioration of his eyesight by “his unexampled diligence in copying by his dim window” scathed him because it impeded on his craft (Melville 311). Bartleby’s degenerate vision was the catalyst of his demise – much like the stripping of Oroonoko’s freedom. The loss of something so intrinsic and necessary to one’s sanity asphyxiates the self, leaving one to succumb to the grievances shortly after. It shrouds alienation. It begins internally and irreparably damages the self-esteem. Indistinctly attached to the will to live, pride is a determining factor in survival. The loss of honor is tantamount to worthlessness in the eyes of both characters. They both died shortly after this ravaging of existence.
The abuse or absence of trust contributes to alienation as one is forced to accommodate for the loss. Oroonoko’s trust was abused and Bartleby’s was simply malformed. Without any suspicion, Bartleby’s jaded reiteration was uttered in response to the narrator’s sincere advances. “I simply wish to speak to you,” was the vain attempt by him to engage Bartleby in conversation (Melville 309). He withheld minimal details of himself and deprived the narrator of any intuition, to which he steadfastly replied, “I would prefer not to” (Melville 309). The narrator then turned to desperation, pleading for which “reasonable objection” he had to confide in him (Melville 309). His defiance of compliance is indicative of the presumably stunted development of his trust.
“I swear by my honour; which to violate, would not only render me contemptible and despised by all brave and honest men [...] but it would be eternally offending and displeasing all mankind” is an extremely longwinded proposal, which indicates that integrity is a substantial quality to Oroonoko (Behn 180). To have that level of conviction met with indifference and insincerity netted him. The breach of trust pertaining to something so dear to his heart, such as the promise “that he should be freed as soon as they came to land” provoked the utmost distress within him (Behn 181). Another infraction occurred later without recovery from the first, with Byam offering him the same mirage of freedom including [him]self, [his] wife, and child (Behn 211). Shortly thereafter, the killing of Imoinda and their unborn child commenced, and the exponential deterioration of Oroonoko. He expired mentally long before his execution.
After considering what brought the characters to the peak of estrangement, it is appropriate to determine how it affected them. Alienation in both Bartleby and Oroonoko led to both characters being a nuisance to their surroundings. Oroonoko organized a slave revolt that vexed Byam and his counterparts. Bartleby’s refusal to comply caused strife within the office, in addition to incensing the narrator. The narrator’s assertion of “you are the cause of great tribulation to me” stirred nothing within him (Melville 318). Bartleby’s indifference to greater, significant things were roused by his alienation – along with his apathy towards consequence. Similarly, in Oroonoko, he was well aware of the outcome of a failed slave revolt, but pursued one anyway. Due to their alienation, both were desensitized to the repercussions of their actions. Devoid of any stamina to pursue in their lives, they both succumbed to death. Being bereft of credence, nativity, and purpose all contributed to the state of alienation in “Bartleby, The Scrivener” and Oroonoko.
Works Cited
Melville, Herman. “Bartleby, The Scrivener”. The Norton Anthology of World
Literature. Third Edition. Edited by Martin Puchner. Norton, 2012. pp. 293-321.
Behn, Aphra. “Oroonoko: or, The Royal Slave”. Shorter Novels: Seventeenth Century.
Edited by Philip Henderson. Londen, 1967. pp. 145-224.