There are many ways someone can interpret "Bartleby the Scribe". I think that throughout the story the narrator (the Lawyer) is the most sympathetic character. The lawyer, although an active member of society, alienates himself by forming walls from his own selfish and materialistic character. The lawyer states, “All who know me think me an eminently sure man” (Melville 131). The narrator is a very methodical and cautious man and has learned patience by working with others, such as Turkey, Ginger Nut, and Nippers. However, the lawyer's constant concern for his own self-approval detracts from his benevolence towards Bartleby. Indeed, the lawyer is unable to see Bartleby's desperate situation because of his unshakeable concern about what the scribe can do for the lawyer's self-approval instead of what he can do for Bartleby. In this sense the lawyer's "wall" is a sort of safety net for one's ego. He does not allow Bartleby's irrationality to affect him because he does not believe that such a thing exists or matters. His materialistic sense does not recognize Bartleby's mentality...