Blog #10 Comparison of "Bartleby, the Scrivener" & "Orientation"

"Bartleby, the Scrivener," Herman Melville and "Orientation," Daniel Orozco

In "Bartleby, the Scrivener," by Herman Melville and "Orientation," by Daniel Orozco, these stories have connection between the interaction of coworkers. In "Orientation" the coworkers are familiar with each others lifestyles. They know each other like they would a friend or family member. An example of this would be "Russell Nash, who sits in the cubicle to your left, is in love with Amanda Pierce, who sits in the cubicle to you right."(Orozco 46). "They ride the same bus together after work."(Orozco 46). "For Russell Nash, this is the highlight of his day."(Orozco 46). How would the narrator know this if the staff was not on open terms with each other? In "Bartleby, the Scrivener" the employees seem to not have much of life outside of work, but rather than a family within. Turkey and Nippers often have lunch and know each other very well. I think his conduct quite unusual, and, indeed, unjust, as regards to Turkey and myself." (Melville 415) "Nippers and I dined together to-day."(Melville 415). The effect of the coworkers knowing each other helps the office run smoother. Coworkers understanding how each other's minds work help the teamwork process.

In both "Bartleby, the Scrivener" and "Orientation" the lack of productivity is evident among the employees. In "Orientation" the workers do what is exactly on the to do list for the day and they stay their entire scheduled shift. "We pace our work according to the eight-hour work day. If you have twelve hours of work in your IN box, you must compress that work into an eight-hour day. If you have an hour of work in you IN box, you must expand that into an eight-hour day."(Orozco 46) In "Bartleby, the Scrivener" the workers work at their own pace and demeanor to get the job done. "All his blots upon my documents were dropped there after twelve o'clock, meridian. Indeed, not only would he be reckless, and sadly given to making blots in the afternoon, but, some days, he went further, and was rather noisy." (Melville 408) The effect of the lack of productivity in the office, shows future clients the lazy, relaxed version of the office. This could lead clients to believe that the lawyer is not conducted properly, is rather lazy, and is a poor boss to allow so unprofessionalism.

In these stories of "Bartleby, the Scrivener" and "Orientation" the value of a job for these employees is expendable. In "Orientation" the receptionist's know that if they do like the position they are hired for, they can go and get another job. " We go through receptionists here. They quit with alarming frequency." (Orozco 46). In "Bartleby, the Scrivener" the employees do their jobs, but in carefree way. For example Turkey "indeed, not only would he be reckless, and sadly given to making blots in the afternoon, but some days, he went further, and was rather noisy."(Melville 408). The effect of the employees not valuing their jobs reflects on the boss and business. When employees do not care about their jobs that gives people a reason to not consider doing business with you. If your employee does not care and take you seriously, than why should I?