Not having a will, becomes thus the only possibility to attain freedom and this thesis present in Schopenhauer's thinking seems to have protruded into Melville's convictions when he wrote the short tale.

Norberg, Peter. "On Teaching Bartleby." Leviathan. Vol. 2. Issue 2(p. 87-99)

Norbert presents the line of events that led to him choosing a particular method of teaching Bartleby the Scrivener to his students. The revelation of the importance of the word "preference' in the context of the short story makes Norbert realize that one of the keys to decipher the meaning of Bartleby's existence in the chambers of the lawyer-narrator: he usurped the latter's confidence in his managerial capacities.

Norberg thinks he has found one of the ways to explain purpose of the scrivener's preferences: to challenge authority, the most powerful form of authority: that of public opinion in a democracy.

Peter Norberg explains why he introduced Bartleby...
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