The narrator of "Bartleby, the Scrivener" spends much of the story covering his tracks in terms of guilt by adding long paragraphs of reflection and analysis not only on Bartleby, but also for justification. of his own actions. Since the narrator is telling a story from memory, these divergences from the basic storyline can be read as factual memory; however, given the subjective nature of memory, they provide more information to the reader through the lens of analyzing the authenticity of the narrator's voice. Throughout the play there are subtle implications about the narrator's higher nature and self-righteous perception of himself and this specific passage concretely illuminates his manipulation of words in order to present himself in the best light. By actively humiliating and belittling Bartleby by saying that he has no control over himself and therefore cannot be punished for his actions, the narrator attempts to cover up his obvious superiority complex towards Bartleby by giving him the role of the helpless victim. The narrator does the same with himself, using the positive language of friendship and values ​​in order to paint the otherwise complex emotion of pity into something neat like benevolence. He uses the subtle implication of his kindness through hypothetical comparisons and objective observations. The narrator uses the language of incapacity to suppress Bartleby's action and create a victim-hero dynamic in which he can justify his actions throughout the play as not only necessary, but also selfless. A more precise extrapolation of the language used to describe Bartleby's passivity will reveal that beneath the shroud of sincere observation, the narrator subtly creates a merely superficial shell...... middle of paper ...... sets him up as an infallible hero, then eventually admits, but subtly for selfish gain, reflects the larger progression of the entire story. By opening with the objective scenario of a “serious person” and an individual with an “inhuman character,” the narrator early on exposes the prejudices of the situation by placing himself and Bartleby in predefined roles. He then adds that he will act "charitably" towards the "poor boy", thus creating a victim-hero dynamic. He returns, however, at the end and reveals his true intention of preserving "a sweet morsel for my conscience" in that by trying to deceive himself, and hopefully the reader, into believing his sincerity in helping Bartleby, he inadvertently points directly to his lack of sincerity by citing a healthy conscience is one of his main motivators in his supposed tolerance of Bartleby.