The Theme Of Work In Studs Terkel's 'What Work Is'

If you’ve worked in your life, then you know that working takes effort, dedication, and resilience. Work for many is also a struggle because it takes an emotional and physical toll on you, just like it did for the main character in the poem “What Work Is” by Philip Levine and for Jim Grayson in his interview about working in the book Working by Studs Terkel. Jim Grayson is a spot welder, he makes cars and he works at a factory so he knows hard work. Philip Levine grew up during the great depression so he knows the absence of work and people. Both the character in “What Work Is” and Jim Grayson are struggling with their experiences with work. The man in “What Work Is” cannot find a job and his brother is overworked Jim Grayson has a job, but …show more content…
Jim Grayson is a spot welder, he works at a plant on an assembly line where he puts pieces of cars together, he does the basics. He knows that work is arduous because he experiences it first hand. Jim explains “You have the sparks and smoke...you can cut the heat with a knife, especially when it gets up in the nineties. You get them carbon monoxide fumes, it's just hell” (Terkel 227-228). Jim is surrounded by this all day and through his words he tries to show the reader how his job feels like hell. One can imagine the smoke mixed with the ninety degree fumes and how a job environment takes a physical toll on workers like Jim. Working is a struggle because of the role it has in one's life. The risks involved can seriously affect one's health, progressively over time or directly. Jim compares work to hell meaning it's so agonizing and hard but there is a reason why he chooses to go through it, life isn't about subjecting to work but having to work in order to survive even if it means …show more content…
As the man in the poem is waiting in line he thinks he sees his brother as he does not get to see his brother often and he imagines him in other people “You think you see your own brother / ahead of you, maybe ten places. / You rub your glasses with your fingers, / and of course it’s someone else's brother,” (Levine). This shows how much the character misses his brother, he's envisioning him because he wishes he could spend more time with him. It’s obvious that his brother just like Jim Grayson does not have the time to keep up relationships. The emotion is so raw because the family of those working also feel the pain because they miss their loved ones and sometimes they see the struggle they go through while working. The man does not remember the last time he told him he loved him as “He’s home trying to / Sleep off a miserable night shift / At Cadillac so he can get up / Before noon to study his German.” (Levine). His brother is miserable, his job is during the night so he doesn’t get a peaceful sleep. The man is sad because he’s not able to have a brotherly relationship since he works so much. They know that it's hard to have so much on their plate, but at the same time work has to be