compare and contrast `Bartleby, Scrivener` and `The Hunger Artist`

A Comparison and Contrast of Herman Melville 's Bartleby , Scrivener and Franz Kafka 's A Hunger Artist

Introduction

Herman Melville 's Bartleby , Scrivener (1853 ) and Franz Kafka 's A Hunger Artist (1924 ) are short stories that deal with the complexities of man in the social setting . Melville is most well known for his novel Moby Dick while Kafka was virtually unknown during his lifetime and has no published novels but has since gained recognition for his short stories , including Metamorphoses (1915 . It would be interesting to note how a comparison of

these two similar stories will reveal the personality of the writer . This will provide a brief synopsis of the stories and will then be analyzed for points of comparison and contrast

Synopses

Bartleby , Scrivener

Melville 's tale deals primarily with a particular scrivener , also know as a law-copier or in modern usage a petition writer as set in this story . The scrivener , Bartleby is an unaccountable man as described by the narrator whom at the time of the events that took place a Master in Chancery . Bartleby is at first industrious in scrivener work , although he steadfastly refused to do any other activity and appeared not to eat or do anything but his work , and even seemed to live in the office . The narrator describes his feelings of astonishment , sympathy and subsequent acceptance of this eccentricity because his other employees also had their vagaries

As the story progresses , however , Bartleby 's behavior becomes stranger he stops working but refuses to leave and eventually drives his employer from his office . Bartleby remains in the building even after being booted out of the room and is eventually arrested for vagrancy . The narrator is conscience-stricken and strives to do all he can for Bartleby , who soon after dies in prison (Melville , 1994

The Hunger Artist

The story begins with a statement of decline in interest in hunger artists . It is told from a third person point of view and sketches a history of the popularity of hunger artists and the process of the art It muses upon the intentions of those who subscribe to the spectacle and the personal views and feelings of one particular artist , dwelling upon his frustration of having his work ended prematurely , a maximum of 40 days per each fasting period , in the interest of profit . The hunger artist knew he could last longer and yearned to find out to what extent but was not allowed

The story describes how interest in the activity seemed suddenly to cease and rather than pursuing his previous modus operandi , the hunger artist to break away from his manager and hire himself out to the circus , where he was placed in a cage near the menagerie , and was all but forgotten . At last he was able to indulge in his wish . Just before he died , he revealed that he fasted not to make himself famous but because there was no food he enjoyed (Kafka , 1924

Analysis

The two stories considered...