Melville, in Bartleby the Scrivener, poses many central questions, which question humanity. Melville questions the narrator's responsibility for Bartleby. Is it still humane if the narrator does not try to save Bartleby? At first the narrator tries to save Bartleby and then he gives up. Humanity is the quality of being human; the peculiar nature of man. Is the "nature of man" limited to helping ourselves? Should there be limits on our will to help a man if his life is that stake? Is a suffering man responsible for himself? How responsible are we for others salvation? Melville shows that people should not be responsible for others and that it is up to them to save themselves.

At first, the narrator tries to help Bartleby, but his attempts fail. Bartleby starts with a lot of care and ambition. When he starts at the office, he "gorges" down the...