The narrator in "Bartleby the Scrivener" is a highly respected, successful, and highly self-righteous lawyer. He has several employees who work for him in his offices, each with their own quirks. He tends just to let them all do as they wish, as it is easier for him this way. He does not like to deal with conflicting situations. The conflicting character, Bartleby, does his job very well at first. In fact, the owner feels …showed first 75 words of 359 total…

…showed last 75 words of 359 total…the demise that befalls Bartleby. In the narrators' life, he is ruled by the idea of rules. Bartleby lives a life without rules. In a sense, they are alike, in that the narrator, while living under all these rules, cannot enforce them when needed. This goes to show once again his cowardly nature. It is because of the coward-like nature of the narrator that he must accept partial responsibility for the conflict of this story.