Bartleby, "I Would Prefer Not To"

“Imagine my surprise, nay, my consternation, when without moving from his privacy, Bartleby in a singularly mild, firm voice, replied, ‘I would prefer not to.’
“I sat awhile in perfect silence, rallying my stunned faculties. Immediately it occurred to me that my ears had deceived me, or Bartleby had entirely misunderstood my meaning. I repeated my request in the clearest tone I could assume. But in quite as clear a one came the previous reply, ‘I would prefer not to.’
“‘Prefer not to,’ echoed I, rising in high excitement, and crossing the room with a stride. ‘What do you mean? Are you moon-struck? I want you to help me compare this sheet here—take it,’ and I thrust it towards him
“‘I would prefer not to,’ said he.” (Bartleby 21-24)
Bartleby is quite clearly not the normal, run-of-the-mill kind of guy. In this passage we see that he is willing to set a standard of passive resistance to one who believes in blind compliance.
The language in this passage helps contribute to the overall message. When the lawyer assumes his “ears had deceived him” or “Bartleby had entirely misunderstood his meaning,” it truly gives you an idea of how shocked this man was when Bartleby refused to accept the seemingly simple request. Also “crossing the room with a stride” gives you an idea of his bewilderment, the wording painting a clear picture of how this man was reacting to Bartleby’s simple, rebellious reply. Another example is “I sat awhile in perfect silence, rallying my stunned faculties.” All examples give you a clear idea of the response of this man and how shocked he truly was.
The passage is important to the story because it sets the standard for passive resistance on Wall Street. Bartleby’s simple, but firm denial to comply becomes his slogan and a defining factor of his character. Here we have a businessman who routinely asks questions, expecting in full confidence for complete compliance and this peculiar man, Bartleby, stuns him with a lack thereof.