Matteo Di Carlo
Professor Candia
English 102
Throughout the history of short stories, authors use formal elements of fictional writing to create an overall meaning and theme. An abundance of literary devices put the story together and allow readers to convey a specific message. Characterization, being one of the most important and commonly used literary devices, impacts the story with a great deal of significance. Two examples of short stories that go hand in hand in the use of characterization to display the stories meaning, are “Bartleby” by Herman Melville, and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.” Both short stories explain through characterization, how humanity, or society as a whole, further progress into the symbolism, plot, point of view, and irony.
One example of a short story that uses characterization to prove how other literary devices create a theme is Herman Melville’s “Bartleby.” In the short story “Bartleby,” Melville uses characterization to tie in with symbolism on what affect Wall Street has on the people working there. In the story, Bartleby is assigned a desk facing a window that is positioned in front of a wall. This in turn symbolizes the isolation that Bartleby’s character endures. “Within three feet of the panes was a wall, and the light came down from far above, between two lofty buildings, as from a very small opening in a dome” (Melville 9). Here, we see that Bartleby is closed off with a loss of light in some sense. This window with so little light, symbolizes Bartleby’s depression and his yearning for something other than what he’s doing.
Another literary device in “Bartleby” that brings characterization together is plot. The narrator of the story, being the professional lawyer, see’s that Bartleby has something mentally wrong with him, for him to act the way he does. Yet, the lawyer avoids the problem in every way possible, for the fact that he believes so highly, that nothing can be done to change him. “‘Good-bye, Bartleby; I am going –good-bye; and God some way bless you; and take that,’ slipping something in his hand”(Melville 28). With this, it’s clear that the lawyer sees something is terribly wrong, and emits no action. From this, the lawyer becomes a bystander with control, but does nothing. The plot of the story shows that the lawyer took no responsibility when he had the chance to.
Throughout the short story “Bartleby,” Herman Melville explains a story of a man named Bartleby through an employee’s point of view. Melville chooses the employer’s point of view to tell the story, for a number of different reasons. For one, no one knew Bartleby quite like the lawyer did. The professional lawyer that narrates the story had not only hired and worked with Bartleby, but discovered that he was suffering from severe depression. This in turn, allows for the reader to get a better understanding of Bartleby’s actions, and the way people may view the character in the story. It makes the most sense for the lawyer to narrate the story, for the simple fact that neither Bartleby, nor the office staff had seen or understood the things that the lawyer had. “But there was something about Bartleby that not only strangely disarmed me, but in a wonderful manner, touched and disconcerted me” (Melville 11). Through this, the narrator’s point of view allowed for a representation of what Bartleby asserted to the people around him. Readers can get a better understanding of the problems that Bartleby created for not only himself, but the people around him as well; thus allowing for a clear representation of both sides of the story.
Finally, Melville uses a strong case of irony, to prove the narrator’s characterization in “Bartleby.” At the end of the short story, readers can interpret a change in the narrator, as well as a dramatic case of irony. “Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity” (Melville 34)! This line proves both irony and dynamic characteristics in the professional lawyer. Irony, because while Bartleby was alive, the lawyer did nothing to help, but the moment he dies, all remorse begins. However, it may also determine the narrator as a dynamic character because he believes that humanity needs change in that people need to help one another out. Whether or not the reader can determine if the narrator was “saved,” is almost entirely impossible to conclude, in that the lawyer had his chance to help, and he did nothing more than push him away. Conclusively, this proves that society or humanity allows for certain things to be avoided; in this case, Bartleby’s mental stability.
In“The Lottery,” another short story, Shirley Jackson proves that characterization can be developed through the use of other formal elements and literary devices. First, symbolism, similar to “Bartleby,” is used to describe the desperation and depressing vibe that is to come. “Mr. Graves opened the slip of paper and there was a general sigh through the crowd as he held it up and everyone could see that it was blank” (Jackson 265). Here, “Mr. Graves” is used to symbolize what is to come of ‘The Lottery.’ In other words, the death or stoning of someone in the town can be seen as being in grave danger. A second literary device that Jackson uses to institute characterization in “The Lottery,” is plot. In the story, no one out of the 300 people in the town even thought to argue against the actions that were going to take place in The Lottery, which was being stoned to death. It’s quite clear the townspeople know the actions are wrong. “‘I think we ought to start over,’ Mrs. Hutchinson said, as quietly as she could” (Jackson 264). From this, we can see that Ms. Hutchinson doesn’t want to be the one to “win” the lottery and wants everything she can to avoid it. The fact that no one in the town feels obligated to strike against such matters, explains the characterization of not only Mrs. Hutchinson, but the town as a whole. Lastly, Shirley Jackson utilizes irony as a key device in generating characterization. At the end of the short story, Mrs. Hutchinson gets chosen as the townswomen who won the lottery. Ironically, she refuses to believe, and wants nothing to do with winning the lottery, because of the fact that in means being stoned to death. “‘It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,’ Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her” (Jackson 265). Her argument, being that it isn’t fair, is ironic because she was going to be doing the same to somebody else if they would have won. Through all this, it’s obvious again that the characterization of the townspeople as a whole, proves to be unjust, and turns them bystanders, similar to the lawyer in “Bartleby.”
In conclusion, short stories over time have all been a compilation of formal elements and literary devices that the authors use to create a theme. Literary devices such as, and particularly, plot, irony, point of view, and symbolism, all help create a message. Mainly in Herman Melville’s “Bartleby,” and also in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” the authors use these specific literary elements of writing to convey the themes they do. Characterization, along with these devices, explains in further detail how society or humanity becomes confliction in the two short stories. Without the use of characterization and specific elements, short stories wouldn’t nearly be as detailed as the authors create them to be.
Works Cited
Melville, Herman. Bartleby and Benito Cereno. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1990. Print.
Kennedy, X.J, and Dana Gioia. Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Fourth Edition. Boston, Columbus, Indianapolis, New York, San Francisco, Upper Saddle River, Amsterdam, Cape Town, Dubai, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris, Montreal, Toronto, Delhi, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo: Pearson, 2012. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment