{"id":"01KG8AK3EN06F47FVSMHV3ETH4","cid":"bafkreiehwkmjqqcogeiamwxuuxydh46ahtfucs5sdmchmtsr5zdzfb6tgm","type":"section","properties":{"description":"# Escalation of Bartleby's idleness and the narrator's increasing frustration/attempts to dismiss him\n\n## Overview - What this is (type, form, dates, scope)\nThis is a section from the short story \"Bartleby\" by Herman Melville, extracted from the text file [the_piazza_tales.txt](arke:01KG89J1F4D8P9BBX9AMGZ7TX7). The section, labeled \"Escalation of Bartleby's idleness and the narrator's increasing frustration/attempts to dismiss him,\" spans lines 953-995. It is part of the chapter [Bartleby](arke:01KG8AJK1PKEBJJCANV911N8JS) within the larger collection [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW).\n\n## Context - Background and provenance from related entities\nThis section follows the previous section, [Bartleby's first refusals and the narrator's attempts to understand/deal with them](arke:01KG8AK3ENHHH8XS65JQBJXC83), and precedes [Bartleby's first refusals and the narrator's attempts to understand/deal with them.](arke:01KG8AK3EJHGZFAPPMWQ9JDEPM). The text was extracted by the \"structure-extraction-lambda\" tool. The file \"the_piazza_tales.txt\" is a plain text file containing the short story \"Bartleby,\" which is part of the \"Melville Complete Works\" collection.\n\n## Contents - What it contains, key subjects and details\nThis section details the escalation of Bartleby's refusal to perform his duties. The narrator, after Bartleby completes quadruplicates of documents, asks him to help examine them. Bartleby responds with his now-familiar phrase, \"I would prefer not to.\" The narrator is taken aback and attempts to reason with Bartleby, but to no avail. The narrator's frustration grows, but he is also disarmed by Bartleby's demeanor.\n","description_generated_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:54.083Z","description_model":"gemini-2.5-flash-lite","description_title":"Escalation of Bartleby's idleness and the narrator's increasing frustration/attempts to dismiss him","end_line":995,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:47:52.603Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Escalation of Bartleby's idleness and the narrator's increasing frustration/attempts to dismiss him","source_file":"01KG89J1F4D8P9BBX9AMGZ7TX7","start_line":953,"text":"A few days after this, Bartleby concluded four lengthy documents, being\r\nquadruplicates of a week’s testimony taken before me in my High Court\r\nof Chancery. It became necessary to examine them. It was an important\r\nsuit, and great accuracy was imperative. Having all things arranged, I\r\ncalled Turkey, Nippers and Ginger Nut, from the next room, meaning to\r\nplace the four copies in the hands of my four clerks, while I should\r\nread from the original. Accordingly, Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut\r\nhad taken their seats in a row, each with his document in his hand,\r\nwhen I called to Bartleby to join this interesting group.\r\n\r\n“Bartleby! quick, I am waiting.”\r\n\r\nI heard a slow scrape of his chair legs on the uncarpeted floor, and\r\nsoon he appeared standing at the entrance of his hermitage.\r\n\r\n“What is wanted?” said he, mildly.\r\n\r\n“The copies, the copies,” said I, hurriedly. “We are going to examine\r\nthem. There”—and I held towards him the fourth quadruplicate.\r\n\r\n“I would prefer not to,” he said, and gently disappeared behind the\r\nscreen.\r\n\r\nFor a few moments I was turned into a pillar of salt, standing at the\r\nhead of my seated column of clerks. Recovering myself, I advanced\r\ntowards the screen, and demanded the reason for such extraordinary\r\nconduct.\r\n\r\n“_Why_ do you refuse?”\r\n\r\n“I would prefer not to.”\r\n\r\nWith any other man I should have flown outright into a dreadful\r\npassion, scorned all further words, and thrust him ignominiously from\r\nmy presence. But there was something about Bartleby that not only\r\nstrangely disarmed me, but, in a wonderful manner, touched and\r\ndisconcerted me. I began to reason with him.\r\n\r\n“These are your own copies we are about to examine. It is labor saving\r\nto you, because one examination will answer for your four papers. It is\r\ncommon usage. Every copyist is bound to help examine his copy. Is it\r\nnot so? Will you not speak? Answer!”\r\n\r","title":"Escalation of Bartleby's idleness and the narrator's increasing frustration/attempts to dismiss him"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJK1PKEBJJCANV911N8JS","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1F4D8P9BBX9AMGZ7TX7","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AK3ENHHH8XS65JQBJXC83","peer_type":"section","predicate":"prev"},{"peer":"01KG8AK3EJHGZFAPPMWQ9JDEPM","peer_type":"section","predicate":"next"}],"ver":3,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:47:53.301Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:54.512Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF5C36SQEVDHC9CBNZZJH9K"}}