The Symbolism of Eating and Food in Bartleby, The...

â€Å"Bartleby, The Scrivener† is a memorable story, by Herman Melville, that is able to keep its readers captivated from beginning to end. How does the author successfully grab the attention of his readers? The author utilized his masterful command of the English language to convey the characters, setting, and plot effectively; and in the midst of all the detailed descriptions Melville have used food and the action of eating as powerful symbols. In the story three of the characters have names that are associated with food, and the main character of study, Bartleby, eventually dies of starvation by choice. Given the setting of the story was in the onset of the second industrial revolution, the coming of the big corporations where Wall†¦show more content†¦They were striped of the regular human emotions and were created merely as puppets to assist the delivery of other symbolic means. The names of Turkey, Ginger Nut and Nippers were symbolic nicknames the characte rs had of each other, they fit their physical and personality characteristics. On a deeper level the lawyer may also hinted that they were insignificant figures, the lawyer never even used their real names and their real names were never introduced, they were just a few of many scriveners in the lawyer’s memory. Turkey is a short and overweight English man around 60 years old. He is named turkey because when he is angry his neck would turn red almost resembles a turkey. His mood changes as sure as time would pass day after day. He is very effective in the morning and becomes less and less so in the afternoon. He would start getting easily distracted and frustrated maybe due to intoxication. Turkey had a troubled state of finance can be perceived as someone of being caged by the repetitive work yet has not been able to improve his living standard. Turkey wears clothes that â€Å"look oily and smell of eating houses.† (Melville 125) Even when the lawyer tried to give him an used, but nice looking coat, Turkey’s response was described as â€Å"precisely as a rash, restive horse is said to feel his oats, so Turkey felt his coat, restive horse is said to feel his oats, so Turkey felt his coat.† (Melville