Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street characters

Also known as The Lawyer

Appears from the start

An elderly Manhattan lawyer who narrates the story. He handles financial documents from a Wall Street office and prizes safety, routine, and an easy accommodation with other people's peculiarities. His effort to understand and manage Bartleby gradually tests the limits of that comfortable outlook.

Appears from the start

A pale, quiet scrivener hired by the narrator after business increases. He first produces an extraordinary amount of accurate copying, working behind a screen near the lawyer's desk, but begins to decline requests without anger or explanation.

Appears from the start

An older copyist in the lawyer's office. He works steadily in the morning but becomes flushed, noisy, and error-prone after his midday meal, a pattern his employer tolerates because the useful and difficult halves of his day are predictable.

Appears from the start

A younger scrivener afflicted by indigestion and ambition. Restless and irritable in the morning, he repeatedly adjusts his desk and complains about ordinary copying work, then becomes calmer and more productive later in the day.

Appears from the start

The office boy, about twelve years old, who runs errands and fetches snacks for the scriveners. His nickname comes from the small ginger cakes that form a regular part of his workday.

Also known as Mr. Cutlets

Appears from the start

A prison food contractor at the Tombs who offers, for a fee, to make Bartleby's confinement more comfortable. Talkative and practical, he cannot understand the prisoner's withdrawal from food and company.