In a cold law office on Wall Street, among stacks of folders and documents, appears Bartleby, a quiet and diligent clerk. At first, he is obedient and meticulously carries out his duties. Until one day, without any special reason, Bartleby begins to refuse every order given to him by his supervisor.
This unexpected attitude will disrupt the smooth operation of the office and cause confusion among his colleagues. And while the world around him begins to distance itself and isolate him, Bartleby continues to refuse everything, repeatedly uttering the same words: "I would prefer not to."
The short story Bartleby, the Scrivener by the great Herman Melville is one of the most enigmatic texts of American literature, a profound and sharp reflection on the human condition and the consciousness of freedom. Through the character of Bartleby, Melville initiates and establishes a genealogy of paradoxical antiheroes, who will later characterize major works such as those of Kafka or Beckett.
In a world where everything is calculated based on codes of efficiency, Bartleby embodies humanity's refusal of the absurdity of power.
