In the story “Paradise of Bachelors and Tartarus of Maids” there is a strong contrast between the world of bachelors and the world of maids. The world of bachelors is described as a world of riches and education. The bachelors have many witty anecdotes to tell, talking about “Saracenic scenery” and “a funny case in law” (1500). At the bachelors’ dinner they have many fine dishes, such as “a saddle of mutton, a fat turkey, a chicken-pie, and endless other savory things” (1499). This is an enormous contrast to the Tartarus of Maids, which is described as a grim factory, where the women are largely unhappy. Melville describes the factory by saying that “machinery- that vaunted slave of humanity – here stood menially served by human beings, who served mutely and cringingly as the slave serves the Sultan” (1506). This suggests the dehumanization of the maids that work in the factory. 

I think that this story can be read as a metaphor for wealth inequality in the 19th century. In one part of the story you have the wealthy, educated men, and in the other, you have the lower classes who are fueling the Industrial Revolution. These two classes are normally very separate, as they live in different areas and have different social circles. But by placing them in the story side by side, Melville suggests that these two groups are actually connected. For example, the bachelors wouldn’t have any paper for books or letters without the work of the maids in the factory. Thus, Melville encourages us to think about how the prosperity of one class and the poverty of another might be interconnected.