The Company Man: Ellen Goodman

 

Essay: The Company Man by Ellen Goodman

About the essayist

Ellen Goodman, born on April 11, 1941, in Massachusetts, is a notable American journalist and columnist. She earned her degree in English in 1963 and began her journalism career at the Detroit Free Press. Later, she gained acclaim for her syndicated column in The Boston Globe, winning a Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Commentary in 1980. Known for her insightful perspectives on social issues and feminism, Goodman has contributed to television commentary as well. Her career reflects a commitment to discussing societal changes, making her a respected voice in American journalism. As of my last knowledge update in January 2022, Ellen Goodman continues to be recognized for her thoughtful contributions.

The Main Gist of the Essay

The essay "The Company Man" was written by Ellen Goodman in 1978. In the essay, Ellen Goodman satirizes the mechanical and busy life of developed countries. Goodman tells the story of a man named Phil, a dedicated and successful company executive, whose life revolves entirely around his job. Phil's commitment to his work leads to a sense of emptiness and detachment in his personal life. The essay delves into the dehumanizing effects of corporate culture, the toll it takes on individuals, and the importance of maintaining a balance between work and personal life.

Summary of the Essay

Ellen Goodman in her essay "The Company Man" narrates the life of Phil, a hard-working businessman who eventually worked himself to death. She uses the name 'company man' to show that Phil was not just a man, but he was an extension of his work. In the essay, Goodman uses Phil's name only a few times. By not saying his name, she uses Phil as a symbol for all businessmen and women who work themselves to literal death, i.e., they sacrifice their lives for the sake of a company (job). With each story, it is obvious that Phil spent so much time at work that he did not know his family.  

Ellen in "The Company Man" is creating a biting satire of the mechanical and hectic life of those people who sacrifice their entire lives for companies and also for those who exploit the lives of innocent factory workers. The character Phil was 51 years old, and his wife was 48. His wife worked in an office before marriage but left the work to take care of her children. Phil’s eldest son was a hardworking executive in a manufacturing firm. His second child was a girl, who is 24 and has just married. His youngest son is 22 years old and a high school graduate. The family members knew little about Phil because he stayed more at the office and less at home.

Phil worked at a company where sixty people worked. Phil was overweight by 20 or 25 pounds and worked too hard. Phil worked six days a week, and five of them, he worked 8 or 9 at night. He assumed himself to be a part of the company where he worked. He didn't have much time to have food with his family members. So, he managed to eat egg sandwiches at work. He was too busy to give time to his family. When a family friend came up to his wife and said, “I know how much you will miss him," his wife replied, "I already have." Phil's wife implied that she had missed him long before he was dead.

Phil died in his office on holiday (3 A.M. Sunday) while he was at work. At the funeral, the sixty-year-old company president told Phil's wife that he would be missed. She replied to the president that she had already missed him for forty years. The essay shows that companies in the industrial age seek and count only dedicated, hardworking, and devoted workers who sacrifice their entire lives for the company. The company just looks for the benefits and welfare of its business, and the workers are mere (HI) factory workers who are exchanged and replaced by other people at any time. The author shows that some people only focus on work instead of more important things, such as family. She uses irony and a sarcastic tone to show that Phil's beliefs are insignificant and wrong. She gives us a message that you are always replaceable, no matter how hard you work.

Rather than simply stating that Phil had died of a “coronary thrombosis (blood clot),” Goodman says, “He worked himself to death, finally and precisely, at 3:00 a.m.,” thus firmly planting the seed in the reader’s mind that work caused his death. Goodman then dismisses all notions of sympathy by stating that neither his family nor friends were surprised by the news. She repeats this sentence three times throughout the passage, emphasizing Phil’s death as she constantly reminds herself of the facts that impacted her life. This in turn shows her resentment towards Phil by her inordinate sentences leaning towards her point of anger, while at the same time constantly using numbers to emphasize the fact that Phil was nothing but a statistic: “fifty-one years old worked six days a week, five of them until eight or nine at night ¦overweight by 20 or 25 pounds.

Understanding

1.            "He always ate egg salad sandwiches at his desk". What is the implication of this sentence?

The implication of this sentence shows the prediction of developed country people. They work like machines day in and day out. So, they do not have enough time to have a meal at home. In the story, a workaholic, the vice president of the office, eats egg salad sandwiches as a meal.

2.            What attitude does Phil's wife have toward him?

Phil's wife thinks that he only led his life for office. He did not give time to her. So, as he was alive, she had missed him for many years.

3.            What point does the writer make about the general situation of which Phil is only a part?

The writer makes the point that he is a main pillar of the office. Phil himself thought that he was an important person for the office but it was just his illusion. The office does not take him as important but it only counts his labor and work. If he becomes weak and old, he will be fired from his job.

4.            The writer has repeated the time of Phil's death in three places. Give examples of other repetitions in the essay. What is the function of the repetitions?

She repeats he died "at 3 am in three places to say that in a developed country, people work like a machine in their entire life. Generally, people sleep till 6 am, but Phil works at 3 am.

5.            What tone is established by the short sentences in the essay? Is it ironic, acerbic, sarcastic, or neutral? Why?

The tone of the essay is sarcastic because it shows the predicament of the modern man who works like a machine and forgets family bonds and ties.

6.            Most of the sentences are of the SVO type. What is the effect of such use of repeated sentence forms?

SVO types of sentences are repeated to make parallels with the repetitive and routinized work of modern man.

7.            Write an essay explaining what it means to be a company man or a company woman.

To be a company man or company woman means to work like a machine. The boss only values his / her effort and work. He/she will be fired if he/she becomes old, sick, and physically unable to contribute to the office. Being a company man or woman means being unknown at home. He/she does not have enough time to spend with his/her family members. Even on a holiday, a boss can invite a meeting and call them to attend.

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