Ellen Goodman's Short Story 'The Company Man'

The hamster wheel, when viewed by humans, seems ridiculous. A rodent scrambles on it until it’s exhausted, but never gets anywhere. Though we regard this device as foolish and nonsensical, we are often unknowingly trapped in the same sort of circular circuit. In our case, however, the cycle is not a small metal circle, but instead the endless cycle of work we put ourselves through that results in nothing worthwhile. In her short story “The Company Man,” Ellen Goodman exemplifies the uselessness of these draining efforts through an extended anecdote about a workaholic named Phil. In the story, Goodman utilizes direct quotations and precise diction to show that while she disapproves of Phil and his choices, she understands why he made the decisions he did.
Right from the start, Goodman’s disapproving attitude is evident as she tells the reader of Phil, a “workaholic” and“of course, overweight,” has “finally”
Not his wife, not his children, and most certainly not his employer. “The Company Man” not only demonstrates the unforgiving reality of the workplace in corporate America, but also its cyclicality. Phil worked hard to gain recognition to “move to the top spot,” at the sacrifice of his familial relationships, only to continue to be unrecognized. So he worked harder, then harder still, to remain just another meatsack to the corporation, the one that meant everything to him. At the same time, he drove the wedge ever deeper between himself and his family. When he dies, his company doesn't care--he’ll be easy and quick to replace. His family doesn’t care--he hasn’t been there for them in a long time anyways. While Goodman clearly displays her distaste for Phil and his choices through her use of quotations and powerful diction, her overall concern is not with Phil himself. It’s with the way corporate America forces the unforgiving cycle to continue turning, and whether it can be stopped before everyone ends up like