Blog #10 -- Comparison between "Orientation" and "Bartleby, the Scrivener"

The short stories "Orientation" and "Bartleby, the Scrivener" (by Daniel Orozco and Herman Melville respectively), while both work-centered, are different in more ways than just plot. Some of these differences include the interaction between co-workers, productivity (or lack thereof), and the value of the job for the individual.

The first difference lies in how the co-workers interact with each other. In "Orientation," there are a variety of different workers (more than in "Bartleby's" setting), but their interactions with each other are very detailed and have a variety of different levels, such as Russell Nash who is in love with Amanda Pierce, who is married with an autistic son, but loves Albert Bosch who in turn loves someone who hates him (pg. 46-47). In "Bartleby, the Scrivener," there are less workers and even fewer, if any, female characters. The co-workers are all male with their own quirks and personalities and jobs (410). However, they all seem to get along with one another fairl well, except for, perhaps, Bartleby, who prefers to live like a hermit in his office and generally not do anything (415). In work-like settings, there will always be different dynamics and eccentricities. Both of these short stories take the meaning of "eccentricity" to a new level, but they are also different forms of eccentricity.

The next difference between the two stories is the productivity (or general lack thereof). In "Orientation," work and productivity are generally required, even if that includes stretching your workload to fit the eight-hour day (46) or "you may be let go." However, in "Bartleby," the narrator actually placates the non-productivity of his eccentric employee. Even when trying to fire him, the narrator doesn't necessarily take an aggressive stance by any means of the word, regardless that no work was getting done. (422) In most work places, like in "Orientation," work is expected and demanded of the employee, and if not given there would be no question in firmly firing the person. In Bartleby's case though, he continued to be an employee even after he failed to remain productive.

the third and last difference I'll mention is about the value of the job for the individual. In "Orientation," someone would really have to value their job in order to stick around with serial killers and crazy fortune tellers (49), and it seems as if the tour guide, so to speak, has valued their job enough to avoid not being "let go." However, when looking at Bartleby in "Bartleby, the Scrivener," it is clear that he values something, but it probably isn't the job so much as it is the security of it. He even blatantly gives up working, but refuses to outright quit -- or even really be fired for that matter. (424) In the real world, it's often hard to value a job for any more than its security. In "Orientation," the tour guide values some aspect of the job enough to know and give the new guy all of the dirty details, while Bartleby in "Bartleby, the Scrivener" seems to value the security of the concept of a job over any aspect of the job itself.