Worker's Pride

Worker’s Pride as Seen in Literature

University of Phoenix

Worker’s Pride as Seen in Literature

The relationship between literature and the workplace environment is one of both emotion and interaction. A sense of pride in a job well done is seen in both the workplace and in literature. The theme of a worker’s pride in his or her job can be seen in the short story “Just Lather, That’s All” by Hernando Tellez, the poem “Old Men Working Concrete” by Phil Hey, and the essay “Pablo Picasso: Living in His Own Shadow” by Ellen Goodman. Each piece of literature, no matter if it is a poem or a story, shows a sense of pride the character has in his work. The act of having pride does not matter whether the character is a barber, a laborer working with concrete, or a painter. Although each piece of literature is different, the theme of a worker’s pride stands strong.

Literature is an art form of expression. “Just Lather, That’s All” by Hernando Tellez is a short story written about a barber with a difficult choice between respecting the integrity of his work and supporting his fellow revolutionaries. At the very beginning of the story, the barber was in the shop sharpening his razors waiting for a client to walk in. That, in itself, is pride for his profession, making sure that the tools of his trade are set to go. In “Just Lather, That’s All” the barber dilemma comes from being face-to- face with Captain Torres a man who has hunted and captured revolutionaries and hung their mutilated naked bodies in the school yard for the entire town to witness. Captain Torres entered the barbershop looking for a shave and the barber upset about his presence still was willing to do his job. “An enemy under one’s roof imposes certain conditions. I would be obliged to shave that beard like any other one, carefully, gently, like that of any customer, taking pains to see that no single pore emitted a drop of blood” (Tellez 90). “Yes, I was secretly a rebel, but I was...