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Character List

The Lawyer - The Lawyer is the unnamed narrator of "Bartleby the Scrivener." He owns a law firm
on Wall Street, and he employs four men as scriveners, or copyists: Turkey, Nippers, Ginger Nut, and
Bartleby. The Lawyer is about sixty years old. He is level-headed, industrious, and has a good mind
for business. He is good at dealing with people, at least until he meets Bartleby.

Bartleby - Bartleby is a young man hired by the Lawyer to serve as a scrivener, or law- copyist. He
starts out as an excellent copyist, but when asked to examine his work for errors, he replies that he
"would prefer not to." Bartleby soon answers anything he is asked to do with "I would prefer not to,"
and he slowly drives the Lawyer and his fellow scriveners crazy.

Turkey - Turkey is the eldest employee of the Lawyer in "Bartleby the Scrivener." He is a good
worker in the morning, but in the afternoon his face becomes flush and he gets a short temper. He
makes more mistakes in his work in the afternoon.

Nippers - Nippers is another scrivener, or law-copyist, employed by the Lawyer in "Bartleby the
Scrivener." Nipper is the opposite of his fellow scrivener Turkey; Nipper is young, and he works best
in the afternoon. In the morning, he is troubled by stomach problems and a constant need to adjust
the height of his desk.

Ginger Nut - Ginger Nut is the the Lawyer's errand boy in "Bartleby the Scrivener." His name comes
from the fact that Turkey, Nippers, and Bartleby often send him to get ginger nut cakes.

Hunilla - Hunilla is the "Chola widow" in "Sketch Eight" of "The Encantadas or Enchanted Isles." She
was left on an island along with her husband and her brother for several months by a French whaler.
Her husband and she had planned to enjoy their honeymoon on the tropical island. Instead, her
husband and brother were killed in a boating accident, leaving Hunilla to fend for herself until the
narrator's ship arrived.

Oberlus - Oberlus's story is told in "Sketch Nine" of "The Encantadas." He deserted his ship and
became a hermit on Hood's Isle, where he kept a small hut and grew vegetables that he sold to
passing ships. He eventually began to desire lordship over other people and kidnapped several
sailors. Finally he stole a small boat from a passing ship and used it to return to the mainland, where
he was arrested and thrown in jail.

Amasa Delano - Amasa Delano is the main character of "Benito Cereno." He is the captain of
the Bachelor's Delight, a whaling ship from Massachusetts. Delano is a pleasant, good-natured man,
slow to become suspicious, but he is not naive.

Benito Cereno - Benito Cereno is the character after whom the story is named. He is a tall, thin man.
He is Chilean, and primarily speaks Spanish, though he knows some English. He is the captain of
the San Dominick, a merchant vessel.

Babo - Babo is the leader of the slaves in "Benito Cereno." Babo led the slave revolt against the
sailors, taking over the San Dominick. For most of "Benito Cereno," Babo masquerades as Cereno's
servant. However, he is actually there to keep an eye on Cereno and to make sure that Cereno
doesn't betray Babo and the slaves to Captain Delano. Babo is small, but he is wily and intelligent.

Atufal - Atufal is Babo's main co-conspirator in "Benito Cereno." He is a huge black slave, tall and
muscular, and he uses his size and strength to intimidate and threaten Benito Cereno throughout
the story.
Alexandro Aranda - The owner of the slaves on the San Dominick, and a friend of Benito Cereno.
Aranda's death is ordered by Babo.

Bartleby

For decades, literary critics have argued over how to interpret the character of Bartleby from
"Bartleby the Scrivener" (1853). At first glance, he seems to have little or no character to speak of:
he arrives at the offices of the Lawyer, is hired to do some copying, then begins to respond to any
request made of him with "I would prefer not to." This reply becomes a mantra, and the politely
cold, yet firm way Bartleby says it prevents the Lawyer from taking any real action against him. Time
and again, the Lawyer is stymied by Bartleby's simple phrase: "I would prefer not to." The
term prefer begins to infect the Lawyer's speech, even his mind.

But who is Bartleby? What does he represent? Baffled by the character's behavior, many critics have
bypassed interpreting Bartleby as a universal symbol in favor of looking at him in the context of
Melville's life. Some critics think Bartleby represents Melville himself: at this time of his life,
Melville's most recent works (including White Jacket (1850) and Moby Dick (1851)) had failed
miserably, despite the fact that they would achieve acclaim later on. At that time, his readers
wanted more adventure, like the adventure in his earlier works such as Typee. Some critics think
that, therefore, the Lawyer represents Melville's readers, asking Melville to write the same old
fiction he had been writing all along, and Bartleby is Melville himself, replying that he would "prefer
not to" and eventually withdrawing into himself and his misery.

This is just one interpretation, and it is a very simplified version of it. A more universally symbolic
interpretation is possible. We have one clue about Bartleby's past, given by the narrator at the end
of the story: Bartleby is said to have once worked in the Dead Letter office, and to have lost his job
after an administrative shake-up. The narrator (the Lawyer) wonders if such a miserable job—
burning letters that have been sent to people that have died in the meantime or who have
vanished—were what caused Bartleby's ennui and his descent into seeming insanity.

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