The Company Man (Summary of the Essay: BBS Second Year)

The Company Man

- Ellen Goodman

Background of the Text:

The essay written by the writer Ellen Goodman tells the story of a man, Phil, who is completely devoted to his job. As a dedicated worker, he works long hours, he hardly goes to his home and he ignores his health, family as well as personal life. His house is cold and lonely because his wife, Helen and children hardly see him. As a devoted worker, Phil believes that his value comes only from his work, but his company shows little concern when he dies because of his overworks. Through the essay, Ellen Goodman uses his life to criticize workaholism, and he shows the importance of balancing work with family, health and happiness.

Brief Point Wise Summary:

-  The essay tells the story of a man named Phil, who is completely devoted to his job.
- He works long hours because he gives much value to his work.
- He is very disciplined for his work.
- He rarely goes to his home, and he spends little time with his family.
- His wife, Helen feels lonely because he rarely goes to his house.
- His children hardly see him at their home.
- Phil believes that his value, identity, joy and satisfaction come only from his work.
- He ignores his health and personal well-being.
- He even spends his holidays and weekends for doing his work.
- His house is cold, quiet and lifeless due to his rare presence.
- Phil’s colleagues respect his dedication, but they are also aware of his loneliness.
- The essay shows how work can take over a person’s life completely and make his or her alone.
- Unfortunately, Phil dies suddenly because of his stress and overwork.
- The company shows only brief concern and quickly goes back to business.
- Goodman uses irony to highlight the meaninglessness of his life.
- The essay criticizes the culture of overwork and corporate passion of this modern world.

Summary of the Poem 'Lunatic". Click the link for the summary:

https://2078notesenglish.blogspot.com/2025/12/lunatic-summary-bbs-seco.html

- The essay is against the belief that a person’s value, joy, identity and satisfaction come through professional success.
- Goodman emphasizes the importance of family, health and personal happiness.
- Phil’s life is a lesson, which shows that neglecting personal relationship is always

dangerous and intolerable.
- The essay encourages readers to make balance between work and life.
- Finally, it shows that a life devoted only to work can be lonely, terrible, painful and fruitless.