Written by Herman Melville, Bartleby, The Scrivener, is a short story that tells the story of a lucky Wall Street lawyer who hires a scribe named Bartleby to serve for his law firm. He starts out as an excellent copyist, but as the story progresses, his work potential diminishes. On the other hand, the narrator's attitude towards Bartleby constantly changes, which leads him to be introverted as well as extroverted. This essay will discuss a major conflict present throughout the story: social responsibility vs. social isolation. Furthermore, his actions will fuel the outcome of his reputation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, in the second passage, the narrator clearly demonstrates the concept of social responsibility through his altruistic character trait. “A cautious feeling began to come over me. My first emotions were of pure melancholy and sincere pity." He shows evidence of selflessness in all his feelings towards Bartleby. The loneliness felt by the legal copyist is suffered by the narrator. He is empathetic and seeks to understand the deepest and most sincere feelings of others which is how he demonstrates social responsibility through his thoughts and actions. Furthermore, when the narrator decides not to go to church anymore, he shows evidence of altruism as his absence from church is motivated by his concern and goodwill to make things right with Bartleby. On the other hand, not going to church also makes him lose the notion of social responsibility since he is not acting for the benefit of society. Secondly, the notion of social isolation is clearly shown through the narrator's actions and his way of reasoning. “But just as Bartleby's abandonment grew in his imagination, that same melancholy merged with fear, that pity with revulsion.” The narrator remained particularly compassionate towards Bartleby throughout the story. Otherwise, it is clear that his desolation and sympathy quickly turned into negative feelings towards Bartleby. His altruism turned into selfishness. So, being self-centered, he also isolates himself from society by thinking only of himself and does not care about the well-being of others. Furthermore, his decision not to go to church goes back to the concept of selfishness, as making this decision shows that the narrator only thinks of himself. However, his reasoning shows that he shared a lot of altruism towards Bartleby and that his perspective towards him changes rapidly as a result. Third, the change in the narrator's attitude towards the scribe; Bartleby, can lead the copyist and the reader to misinterpret the narrator's good reputation. The lawyer shows signs of social responsibility towards the copyist's complex character by feeling pity and empathy towards him. The narrator gives Bartleby more money than he actually owes him. In a way, this is a sign of altruism as she decides to help him financially considering the fact that she cannot help him emotionally. He tried to do everything for someone in need. Then, throughout the story, the lawyer demonstrates a duality in his personality, as he rapidly changes his perception and attitude towards Bartleby. This change in attitude highlights one of the greatest conflicts in history between social responsibility and social isolation. However, as the story continues, Bartleby's simple words "I'd rather not"..