Reification and desumanisation in Gógol and Melville
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2317-4765.rus.2026.245935Keywords:
The cloak, Bartleby, reification, character, scrivenerAbstract
The concept of reification establishes that work dynamics interfere with objective and subjective structures in society. It is based on the understanding that, when engaged in fragmented work, individuals become closer to an objectified nature. Based on the points of convergence and divergence between the bureaucracy of the Russian Empire and the United States in the 19th century, this article aims to construct a dialogue between Akáki and Bartleby, protagonists, respectively, of the short stories “The Cloak” (1842) by Gogol and “Bartleby, the Scrivener” (1853) by Melville. We focus on authors such as Lukács (2003), Deleuze (1997), Araújo (2020), Agamben (2015), and Bezerra (1990). The conclusions show that, although the characters present, in different ways, a refusal to accept the dynamics of work, they are subjected to reification and dehumanisation. The comparative analysis sheds light on how the reality of these clerks can reveal similarities, even in disparate socio-historical contexts.
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