Law in Contemporary Society

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>		Although Melville recognizes that actions can express love, he avoids the temptation to conflate doing good for others with loving others. In fact, Melville reveals that good actions cannot replace love but can often lead to complacency. For example, the narrator in “Bartleby” eventually transitions from tolerating and using Bartleby to pitying and helping Bartleby. The desire for catharsis mutates into a desire for charity. Inspired by a “fraternal melancholy” and convinced that Bartleby is “the victim of innate and incurable disorder,” the narrator resolves to “give alms to [Bartleby’s] body.” Although the narrator claims that the divine injunction to love others motivates his charity and philanthropy, his actions belie his words. Charity and philanthropy are merely cheap substitutes for genuine love. For the narrator, Bartleby is ultimately a burden—something to quit rather than someone to love. Even the seemingly selfless action of inviting Bartleby to his own home is merely a stopgap to preserve his reputation. Having fulfilled his soi-disant duty, the narrator slides into complacency: “I now strove to be entirely care-free and quiescent; and my conscience justified me in the attempt.” And with a few silver coins, the narrator transfers custody of Bartleby into the hands of the grub-man. As aspiring lawyers, we should not grow complacent simply because we do good in the world or do extensive pro bono work. Loving our work is important, but as Melville reveals, loving people is even more important. We should avoid the temptation to substitute acts of kindness and justice for genuine and loving relationships. Doing good and loving others are not mutually exclusive, but they do not always come together.
 

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