Eventually, as this proves to be of no help either, he builds up enough frustration and stress to meet up one morning in his pyjamas, invites himself into his boss’ office and starts conversation regarding his alleged promotion.
Assignment 2. Characterize Jefferson and his development.
Jefferson dresses neatly and accordingly to his field of work, which consists of sitting in an office managing files and other administrative work.
Jefferson takes his work seriously, doesn’t meet in late, and takes pride in his efficiency and skill at finishing his work quickly and precisely.
He is, however, tired of his hard work not being appreciated fittingly, and craves a promotion as a sort of prize and validation.
As the story progresses, Jefferson develops different personalities:
Initially he cares a lot about his work and doesn’t socialize during work hours. He meets in early and uses his time solely in productive ways. Later in the story, Jefferson strategically becomes different to have himself noticed by his superiors. He socializes more and takes in more luxury during work hours, such as reading the news and relaxing with tea before he actually starts doing any work.
Latest in the story, Jefferson’s frustration about not being noticed and not receiving the promotion he longs after reaches a climax, and he, without care, comes to work in his green pyjamas, invites himself into his superior’s office and suggests his own promotion.
Assignment 3. Comment on the environment at Jefferson's workplace.
Jefferson’s workplace seems to be of that where the ‘inferior’ part of the employees isn’t seeing much luxary. They work in bad lighting from fluoro-lights and likely in efficiently placed booths where workers can feel entrapped.
The employees are disciplined and even though you’d think a work society in Australia wouldn’t have such problems, the place Jefferson works very much resembles slavery in that they are expected to do optimal work without really being comfortable, and all the hope they are given are trivial title suffixes and a kind lie when they seek promotion.
Assignment 4. In a short essay (150-200 words) discuss why some people rebel against the norms.
In some cases, people will feel that they are being treated unfairly. Most people naturally wish to be treated properly and as equals, but that is not always how things work in reality. Some people consider themselves superior over others, or at least over those who work under them when it comes to workplaces, and working under such conditions is of course not optimal.
Most people will often choose to cope with these bad conditions, as rebellious actions can be very risky and can in worst cases end up in them being fired and thus losing one’s important income.
Other people, however, choose to not cope with bad conditions at the work place, and will eventually come to a point where rebelling is the only option in their mind. In the story, Jefferson shows both a rebellious and non-rebellious personality. Initially, he is somewhat neutral about current state of affairs, and acts disciplined at work, despite having sought for a higher position at multiple occasions. Later on, he takes on the rebellious personality and starts acting like his superiors do. He begins meeting in late, and doesn’t do any serious work till he’s ‘settled in’, which is usually after morning tea and some catching up on current news.