14.2 Melville's Short Fiction and Novellas

Herman Melville's short fiction and novellas showcase his mastery of complex themes and innovative storytelling techniques. His works explore moral ambiguity, power dynamics, and the human psyche through unreliable narrators and gothic elements.

Melville's shorter works, like "Bartleby, the Scrivener" and "Benito Cereno," delve into issues of passive resistance, slavery, and the limitations of perception. These stories highlight Melville's ability to craft nuanced narratives that challenge readers' assumptions and interpretations.

Melville's Short Story Collections

Bartleby, the Scrivener

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• Short story published in 1853 in Putnam's Monthly Magazine
• Depicts a scrivener named Bartleby who works in a Wall Street office
• Bartleby gradually refuses to do any work, responding with "I would prefer not to" to every request
• Explores themes of isolation, passive resistance, and the dehumanizing effects of capitalism
• Narrator is an unreliable first-person narrator who struggles to understand Bartleby's behavior
• Story is often interpreted as a critique of the modern workplace and the alienation it can cause

Benito Cereno

• Novella published in 1855 in Putnam's Monthly Magazine
• Based on the real-life revolt on the Spanish slave ship Tryal in 1805
• Follows Captain Delano, an American, who encounters a Spanish slave ship in distress
• Delano initially believes the ship's captain, Benito Cereno, is in control, but gradually realizes the slaves have revolted
• Explores themes of slavery, race, and moral ambiguity
• Utilizes an unreliable narrator in Delano, whose perceptions are clouded by his own racial biases
• Critiques the institution of slavery and the complicity of those who benefit from it

The Piazza Tales

• Collection of six short stories published in 1856
• Includes "Bartleby, the Scrivener" and "Benito Cereno"
• Other stories in the collection:
  • "The Piazza": A narrator reflects on the nature of reality and illusion
  • "The Lightning-Rod Man": A satirical tale about a salesman who preys on people's fears
  • "The Encantadas, or Enchanted Isles": A series of sketches about the Galápagos Islands
  • "The Bell-Tower": A gothic story about a bell-tower architect's obsession and downfall

Themes and Motifs

Passive Resistance and Individual Will

• Many of Melville's characters, particularly Bartleby, engage in passive resistance against authority or societal expectations
• Bartleby's "I would prefer not to" becomes a powerful statement of individual will and resistance to conformity
• Other characters, such as the slaves in "Benito Cereno," also resist their oppressors through subtle means
• Melville explores the limits and consequences of individual will in the face of larger societal forces

Slavery, Race, and Power Dynamics

• "Benito Cereno" directly confronts the issue of slavery and the power dynamics between enslaved people and their captors
• Melville critiques the institution of slavery and the racial hierarchies that support it
• The story also explores the psychological effects of slavery on both the enslaved and the enslavers
• Other stories, such as "The Encantadas," also touch on themes of race and power in colonial contexts

Moral Ambiguity and the Difficulty of Interpretation

• Melville's stories often present morally ambiguous situations that resist easy interpretation
• Characters' actions and motivations are complex and not easily categorized as good or evil
• The difficulty of interpretation is heightened by the use of unreliable narrators, as in "Benito Cereno"
• Melville invites readers to grapple with the complexities of human nature and the limitations of our understanding

Literary Techniques

Unreliable Narration and Limited Perspective

• Melville frequently employs unreliable narrators whose perceptions and judgments are limited or biased
• In "Bartleby, the Scrivener," the narrator's inability to understand Bartleby reflects the limitations of his own worldview
• "Benito Cereno" uses Captain Delano's limited perspective to critique his racial biases and naiveté
• Unreliable narration creates a sense of ambiguity and encourages readers to question the narrator's interpretations

Gothic Elements and the Uncanny

• Some of Melville's stories, particularly "The Bell-Tower" and "The Encantadas," employ gothic elements to create a sense of mystery and unease
• Gothic tropes such as dark settings, supernatural occurrences, and psychological turmoil are used to explore deeper themes
• The uncanny, or the unsettling blurring of the familiar and the strange, is also present in stories like "Bartleby, the Scrivener"
• Gothic elements and the uncanny contribute to the overall atmosphere of moral ambiguity and psychological complexity in Melville's works

Novellas and the Longer Form

• In addition to his short stories, Melville also wrote novellas, which allowed him to explore themes and characters in greater depth
• "Benito Cereno" and "Billy Budd, Sailor" are examples of Melville's longer works
• "Billy Budd, Sailor," published posthumously in 1924, tells the story of a young sailor who is falsely accused of mutiny and executed
• The novella form enables Melville to develop more complex narratives and to explore the psychological and moral dimensions of his characters more fully
• Novellas like "Billy Budd" and "Benito Cereno" showcase Melville's ability to sustain tension and ambiguity over a longer narrative arc