Bartleby the Scrivener: Catatonic Schizophrenia :: Health, Diseases, Mental Disorder

Misery loves alliance and in Melvilles Bartleby the Scrivener, Bartleby exhibits traits of depression and catatonic schizophrenia as delimit in the DSM-IV however the tellers other employees also show symptoms of catatonia every influenced by Bartleby or by Melvilles own cordial state. The theme of kind disorder is prominent throughout the text and a close synopsis of specific passages in concordance with the DSM-IV will first reveal how Bartleby exemplifies these mental disorders and secondly show to what extent the entire story serves to personify them.Bartleby demonstrates behaviours significative of depression, the symptoms he has in accordance with the DSM-IV are a loss of cheer in activities accompanied by a change in appetite, sleep, and feelings of evil (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, 320). Very shortly after Bartleby begins his subject area as a Scrivener he is described by the narrator as having done nothing but stand at his window in his dead-wall revery. (Melville, 126) In contrast, Bartleby had previously been described as a very hard worker and this process of doing increasingly slight shows how his a diminishing sense of interest both in his work but also of the perception others have of him. It is also noted that include in this lack of interest is a social withdrawal (DSMIV, 321) which corresponds healthful to Bartleby in that his workspace becomes known as his hermitage. During small talk which included Bartleby he says that he would prefer to be left alone. (Melville, 120) Bartleby only emerges from his hermitage when called upon and promptly returns when faced with confrontation. His lack of appetite is noticed early where in the narrator notices that he never went to dinner. (Melville, 51) We discover later that he has been work throughing a bit of ginger-nuts and some morsel of cheese, (Melville, 88) however the narrator suggests that this is a pitiable amount of food and that Bartl eby is clearing suffering. In fact his refusal to eat ultimately leads to his death one might infer that it was a ricochet of suicide as he says that he prefers not to dine to-day... it would disagree with me I am unused to dinners. (Melville, 235) This implies that Bartleby hadnt been eating for a great time. Also refusing to eat, Bartleby is shown to very seldom sleep. The narrator mentions that he is always at that place - first in the morning, continually through the day, and the last at nighttime, (Melville, 84) he makes his home in the office and the narrator comments that he ultimately does sleep at the end when he is dead.