In The Scarlet Letter,  Roger Chillingworth declares on page 467, “there are few things– whether in the outward world, or, to a certain depth, in the invisible sphere of thought,– few things hidden from the man, who devotes himself earnestly and unreservedly to the solution of a mystery.” This idea, that with enough time and effort we can know anything is something that many readers and narrators identify with. The narrator of “The Man of the Crowd” shares this mentality, beginning his narrative by establishing himself as an expert at reading the people in the street. Likewise, the narrator of “Bartleby, the Scrivener” starts by demonstrating his skill of understanding his employees, carefully characterizing Turkey, Nippers, and  Ginger Nut. All three stories begin with  someone asserting that mysteries are solvable and people are readable. 

From there, two different routes are taken. In The Scarlet Letter, Chillingworth  is right. Over time, the puzzle yields to his schemes and the mystery is uncovered. But in the case of the two narrators, the man and Bartleby prove to be inscrutable, complete enigmas no matter how long the narrator studies them. In the latter case, the reader and the narrator are left with nothing but guesses as to the true motivations and character of the men that confound them.

All three of these texts present the reader with questions, and draw them in by building anticipation of the answer.  In Poe and Melville’s works, the secrets are never revealed, and the reader is left questioning. In Hawthorne’s work, the main mystery is solved by the end, but many questions remain. These stories take advantage of the reader’s curiosity, partnered with a similarly curious narrator, to draw the reader in and keep them engaged. They show that it can occasionally be said of  a mystery that er lasst sich nicht lesen. They force readers to grapple with questions that will never be answered. However many times we read and reread these stories, we will never know what haunted the man or Bartleby, why Hester returned to Salem, or what happened to Pearl. All we have are guesses.