Bartleby the Scrivener The meaningful projection in this story is the walls. These walls are symptoms of separation and represent Bartleby's separation from both reality and people. This set the tone for the story, as the relationships with each other seem to be purely professional in nature. This impersonality of the characters is significant - the business based world in which they operate has no room for personal interaction. Nothing is learned about any of the characters beyond what they are like in the office. The walls serve as a safe haven for Bartleby, as he is in a world with societal expectations and he chooses not to conform and the walls, in essence, allow him to retreat into a world of his own, thus protecting himself from those who may think he is a threat to their own materially oriented world. It is as though I am involved in trying to deal personally with Bartleby, a sensation that keeps me fully engaged with the story as it heads toward its tragic ending. "Strangely huddled at the base of the wall, his knees drawn up, and lying on his side, his head touching cold stones, I saw the wasted Bartleby" (Litz,1994, p.165-166). "I felt his hand, when a tingling shiver ran up my arm and down my spine to my feet" (Litz,1994, p.166). After Bartleby dies, alone and imprisoned, I learn a little of his past; apparently he worked in the dead letter office. Could it be that this depressing job affected Bartleby's sanity? Bartleby died of sadness, feeling trapped and without a place in society. This leads me to wonder what makes all of us who we are. Frequently, we are surrounded by, or surround ourselves with walls. In the workplace and in society, these walls can prevent us from being truly aware of the people and environment that surround us.