Joshua Ferris has written the most absorbing work of disaffected office life since Mike Judge wrote the screenplay for and directed Office Space (1999) an indie film which has gained something of a cult following among IT workers. While the dejected workers of Office Space are just cogs-in-the-machine at a typical, featureless office park, the setting of the Ferris novel is a Chicago advertising agency populated by workers who also are stiff with ennui.
In Office Space both the daily tasks and the boss are a crashing bore and there is little sense of achievement, but the disaffection of the denizens within Then We Came To The End is all the more depressing and sad because their pay scales, perks, and white collar status are considerably up the scale from the micromanaged drones of Office Space, but none of them are happy or fulfilled in their careers either.
However, the additional millstone around the necks of the characters in the Ferris novel is that a floundering economy leaves them all vulnerable to getting axed – limiting the ability to enjoy their comparatively good fortunes in any case. Their tenuous state of employment adds to the suppressed, petty resentments they feel towards each other and this fuels more negative competition among them.
Everything about their work is drudgery. There is the constant undercurrent of restlessness, friction among coworkers, the dreaded team meetings which become more tedious and meaningless, the ability to feel upbeat and passionate about their jobs diminishes with each passing day. Then We Came To The End is painfully real in its portrayal of the disaffection and hollowness of corporate life, portraying the world of ad campaigns as nothing short of repugnant.
Any exaggerations aside, there is a good deal of truth about the soul-crushing effects on the psyche of being tethered to the corporate treadmill. So, it comes as no surprise as to why “The Great Resignation” has held sway over the past couple of years. Though there are numerous reasons why this phenomenon has occurred – there is not a single doubt that a prime cause is due to the disgust and contempt many workers have regarding the neurotic corporate mentality and the burdens it foists on them.
Whether people are merely switching jobs, going back to school to change careers, taking early retirement, or starting their own business – anything else to make a living, they desperately need some change to feel better about themselves and how their lives are truly being spent. The traditional corporate job just doesn’t cut it anymore for increasing numbers of Americans. The Covid-19 pandemic hastened along what was already bound to happen regarding the “Great Resignation”. The painful truths of novels like Then We Came To The End and films like Office Space have also thankfully set the stage for it.
To read more about this subject check out my other post Vintage Publications: The Pyramid Climbers.
