The Portrayal Analysis Of Ellen Goodman's The Company Man

“The Company Man” by columnist Ellen Goodman describes the life of a corporate worker posthumously and is written similarly to an obituary. Through this piece, Goodman portrays the daily tasks and family of Phil, a hardworking and dedicated company employee. Although she describes Phil’s life and family, Goodman uses form follows function, irony, and juxtaposition to display her disgusted and disappointed attitude towards Phil’s life. Goodman structures her column by describing Phil’s life through the lens of an obituary. By doing so, Goodman shows that Phil’s lifestyle and dedication to his company ultimately led to his demise, or in her words, “worked himself to death.” Through Goodman’s structure, the reader can clearly see the priorities of Phil: work being at the top, with all other things, including family, health, and leisure, second. Like Phil, Goodman first describes Phil’s dedication and obsession for

Similarly, as Goodman describes the family of Phil, only his wife, Helen, is given a name, whereas his children are mentioned as “dearly beloved” eldest, “second child”, and “youngest” respectively. Goodman does not care about the names or lives of Phil’s children, similar to Phil, for he put work and pleasing his company over his supposed “loved ones”, meaning his only love was his job. Using form follows function, Goodman shows her lack of respect for Phil and disappointment in the life that he lived. Goodman also uses irony