Theme of Melville's "Bartleby"

This is in response to Herman Melville's short story, "Bartleby the Scrivener", a tale of a man with a shadowy past that, when interrogated, only responds "I would prefer not to."
I think that Bartleby, in his passive and apathetic lifestyle, represents mainstream humanity and the working force of men. He faces all comings without strong emotions and without expressing a desire to act in order to change unpleasant circumstances. I think that Melville views the mass of society as unambitious wage slaves, the sheep before the shepherd. The theme of walls in Melville’s story represents both the social and mental blocks that imprison these working class people in their caste in society. Bartleby is unresponsive and inactive because he is a prisoner in this caste, by both his and the public’s vices. The way that Bartleby repeatedly and voluntarily turns to face the walls (both in his office and his cell) shows that he takes comfort and solace in these restrictions, though they are not beneficial to him. It is also entirely plausible that he might lack the confidence or courage to challenge his predicament.
The lawyer and Bartleby both share one thing in common – they were both dismissed from previous jobs due to changes in politics. This connection between the successful lawyer and Bartleby shows the lawyer that he himself is also in the same position as his employee – bound in his state as a small-time, mediocre lawyer. Though he could be as great as Mr. Astor, he stays comfortably in his lesser role. Melville’s tale is a cynical interpretation of modern industrialized society.
(p.s. if you even think of copying from this, you better cite me properly. If you plagiarize, may Minos sentence you to an eternity in the tenth pouch of the eigth circle of Dante's underworld (the rightful end for Falsifiers) to suffer from horrible plagues and diseases.)