Bartleby the Scrivener

The other three workers in the Lawyer's office are introduced before Bartleby in this story. The author wants to set Bartleby apart from the rest of them. Turkey is a good worker in the morning, but he doesn't work well at all in the afternoon. The Lawyer must yell "[b]ut the blots, Turkey" because of Turkey's sloppiness. Nippers, the exact opposite of Turkey, is always the victim of both "ambition and indigestion." Nippers wants to be a good worker, but the indigestion which he endures in the mornings makes that impossible until the afternoon. Ginger Nut is twelve, so he doesn't count. The author contrasts Bartleby with each of these characters. He's a hard worker and produces more than the Lawyer could have imagined. By showing the reader the seemingly sub-par workers first, the author makes Bartleby seem like the ideal worker. This increases the reader's surprise when Bartleby refuses to review the copies he's made.