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Summary Of Bartleby The Scrivener

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Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street Mental Health and the Workplace Mental health is one of the most predominant and costly issues found within a work place. Only recently has it been noticed that mental health has a huge impact within a workplace, as well as external factors surrounding an organization. Majority of both employers and employees have a very limited understanding of mental health and how it may affect an organization. Efforts to improve understanding on mental health issues has not increased, leading to a violation of human rights from discrimination and social stigma (Dimoff and Kelloway, 203-212). Correlating the article “Bridging the Gap: Workplace Mental Health Research in Canada” written by Jennifer Dimoff …show more content…

Throughout the story his work ethic begins to decline. His first protest to work was when the narrator, Bartleby’s boss, hastily calls on Bartleby in expectancy to examine some of his work; “’I would prefer not to’” he says and this baffles the narrator (Melville, 53). This resistance and defiance Bartleby presents is a clue that something is off. The statement ‘I would prefer not to’ is essentially Bartleby saying that he is completely able to do what is asked but simply does not want to. This is showing a decline in motivation and productivity. Bartleby is expressing that he is losing interest in the job, and he is no longer motivated to be successful. Many times in workplaces, if an employee has low satisfaction or dislikes their career they will become less motivated (Dimoff and Kelloway, 203-212). These are factors that can be linked to an issue with mental health whether it is a work related or personal issue. In the article it states “As a result, the workplace can be part of the cause of an employee's mental health problems if one is experiencing personal problems that negatively impact their work or their work-life balance” (Dimoff and Kelloway, 203-212). In the story, Bartleby may be facing personal issues, which in turn, affect his work

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