Analysis of Studs Terkels Book and the World of Work Essay

Many people in today’s society find themselves guilty of believing the common misconception that money can buy happiness. They go to school to become a doctor, lawyer, or other high paying job, with money and social status as their only incentives. Many will find that they have fallen into a trap, when they start earning their large salary, but still are not happy. While there were many messages present throughout Studs Terkels Working: a graphic adaptation, the most important reoccurring message seemed to be that having pride and dignity as well as working at a job that fulfills one’s life passion or is simply enjoyable are more important qualities than earning a large salary and having a high rank on the social ladder. The interaction of†¦show more content†¦Overall the monologue uses the text and visuals to portray the message that if a person has such a dreadful job and can’t stand going to work every day, he or she is going to be extremely unhappy. Another clear example that uses a connection between visuals and the text to illustrate that working a job merely for the money will not provide happiness is Beryl Simpson’s interview about being an airline reservationist. Beryl Simpson â€Å"hated it with a passion getting sick in the morning, going to work feeling ‘OH MY GOD! I’ve got to go to work’† (122). A visual shows her struggle of trying to get out of bed to go to a job that she hates. Her face looks wrinkled, worn down, and depressed (122). Beryl admits that when she was working for the airline she had a high status and â€Å"was always introduced as Beryl Simpson who works for the airline† (124). However this high status did not provide her with happiness. She felt as if she was a computer when she went to work and had no free-will. This repetitive work that she hated wore away at her, and even though it provided her with a salary and high status, she was not genuinely happy. In co ntrast to Brettr Hauser and Beryl Simpson’s interviews, John Fuller’s interview displays the message of the book in the opposite way. His voice and the overall tone are very positive, even though he is working a job that pays a very low salary. There are a lot of exclamation points in the text that help portray his enthusiasm