The Company Man by Ellen Goodman

The Company Man by Ellen Goodman

The Company Man by Ellen Goodman Intention:  The intention of the piece by Ellen Goodman, The Company Man is to force readers to think about family, loved ones, what they truly value and how they spend their time.  It is supposed to make readers want to expend their energy on things that mean something to them and not waste their time away. Five Types of, Analysis of the Essay Company Man Goodman tells the story of Phil, a hard-working businessman who eventually worked himself to death.  She uses the name ‘company man’ to show how Phil was not just a man but an extension of his work.  In the essay, Goodman uses Phil’s name only a handful of times.  By not saying his name, she uses Phil as a symbol for all businessmen and women who work themselves to literal death. One of the most powerful lines in the essay is the last line.  At the end of the narrative, Phil’s boss begins to look for a replacement for him on the day of the funeral and asks, “who’s been working the hardest?”  Goodman used…