Analysis Of Herman Melvilles The Paradise Of Bachelors...

The concept of balance is central to Herman Melville’s â€Å"The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids.† The first story of the diptych reflects the opulent and extravagant feasting of a group of lawyers in London, while the second depicts the laborious, cold, and bland life of workers at a paper mill. These polar opposites perfectly illustrate this idea of a worldly equilibrium would have resounded well with Melville’s Romantic, educated, and upper class readership. Though there is much to be learned through this historical context, viewing the juxtaposition of success and struggle through a modern lens yields another perspective that Melville could never have foretold. â€Å"The Paradise of Bachelors† of the Inner Temple is very†¦show more content†¦This message of universal balance appeals to readers of the Romantic period, because one of the tenets of Romanticism is the belief that there is some element of mysticism or unexplainable natural power holding us all together. Melville’s use of figurative language further accentuates his connection to the romantic period. By utilizing plentiful biblical references, he plays into the spirituality and classicality of the period. In addition to perceiving Melville’s story from a Romantic historical perspective, it is worthwhile to examine it out of its intended context. Above all, the diptych is a story of high and low. It characterizes the bachelors as above the common citizen and the maids as below him, exemplifying the Romantic period perspective on the divide between classes. Melville touts the rich bachelors’ â€Å"capacious philosophical and con-vivial understandings† and â€Å"remarkable decorum,† while the maids are essentially dehumanized (115). This attitude also reflects a change in Melville’s life. As a child, he lived in a wealthy luxurious home (Parker 22). However, Melville’s father had borrowed excessive amounts of money and was slowly becoming increasingly irrational (56). As the family fell out of the upper class due to their huge debt, they lost their opulent house and servants and Melville lost his ability to go to school. During his teens, he was forced to work full time