How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
Atufal's presence, singularly attesting docility even in sullenness, was contrasted with that of the hatchet-polishers…(3.314)
Atufal is in chains; he's pacified—supposedly. Slaves were supposed to be happy in chains, or at least accepting of them, as Atufal appears to be. This is a lie though; the belief that slaves were docile was actually a way to justify enslaving them. Perhaps that's true of Bartleby as well; the people doing the drudge work are supposed to be willing to do the drudge work. The resistance is hidden by the master's refusal to see it.