Bartleby and Raging Bull

At the focus of both Bartleby and Raging Bull is a tortured, obsessive man, who is tragically responsible for his own downfall.  These men both isolate themselves from others; in Bartleby's case with his firm belief that no one can truly reach him, and in Jake LaMotta's case with his masochistic tendencies that cause him to hurt anyone close to him.  They deprive themselves of deep connections with people and thus self-deteriorate, when all that they ever needed, all the companionship, the interaction, everything necessary for a happy life, they already had.

Bartleby's isolation is brought by his unwillingness to allow other people to relate to him.  This is alluded to via his rumored job at the dead letter office, in which he constantly dealt with letters that had no destination, the outreach of someone's precious innermost thoughts that never found their intended ear.  Bartleby does not believe anyone can truly touch his soul, can truly help him, and because of this he forsakes deep human interaction and thus dooms himself.  He withers away in prison, unable to accept the help offered to him by the narrator.  Jake LaMotta, by a little contrast (but only a little) is a masochist.  This is suggested by the scene in which he asks his brother to punch him in the face repeatedly, slapping his brother to make sure the brother hits hard.  His brother asks Jake, "What are you trying to prove here?! What does it prove?"  This question is answered toward the end of the film, in Jake's last fight as middleweight champion.  At this point he has just savagely beaten both his wife and his brother.  He gives up in the middle of the fight, and asks his opponent, Sugar Ray Robinson, to hit him, mirroring the scene with his brother.  Robinson absolutely destroys his face, spraying blood all over the rope at the edge of the arena.  Immediately after the round ends, Jake chases an ebullient Robinson and says, "Hey Ray.  You never got me down, Ray.  You never got me down."  That was the whole point of everything he did.  Everything was to show how tough he was.  This highlights a tremendous insecurity that made LaMotta into a masochistic monster.  The boxing in the film is a metaphor for the LaMotta's life.  Because of this lifestyle and its mindset, he pushes everyone close to him away, in the same way that Bartleby pushes people away because he feels they cannot help him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS5eez_f4d8 - jake beats his wife and brother

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wwItkoapuA&feature=related - "you never got me down, ray"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQhwi8kk-dE - intro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xve6QaqrPUQ&feature=related - "i want you to hit me in the face"