We learn that Mr. Lever was 10 years retired when he lost his money in the Depression and isn't the hottest job candidate available: "He had been a good traveler, he had made money for many people, his references were excellent, but the world had moved on since his day."
How do you see this in light of today, where more would-be retirees are joining the work force now that 401(k)s have plunged? Are their prospects worse than, the same as, or better than Mr. Lever's?
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I think they are better because if they get bitten by a mosquito they probably won't die.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though, that's a good question, because it's been a fairly significant theme in contemporary literature. "Death of a Salesman" is the obvious example of people who labor for decades at dull, unrewarding work, but they labor with a faith that a reward awaits them at the end of the line — usually some kind of financial security in retirement or, say, a vacation home in Florida. But it's a fragile dream because any number of things — an illness in the family, an impetuous wager or bad investment, a stock market crash — can ruin it utterly.
So we end up with bitter people who feel they've thrown their lives away on something illusory, or that they've spent their days laboring to enrich others. The temptation to cheat at that point and to grasp, as Mr. Lever did, at whatever chance you might have must feel overwhelming.
There's also the issue of luck vs. merit. I think that grates on a lot of people as they age: the feeling that in the scheme of things it's often more important to be lucky than to be deserving, which undermines all our childhood lessons about working hard.
Ben has a friend in his 60s who recently lost his job of 30+ years and is finding that no one wants to hire an "old guy" when there are so many other candidates out there. So yeah, it's happening.
ReplyDeleteGood point, kc, about the failed American Dream in literature. It's a pretty sad thing to realize a lifetime of labor won't be rewarded with dreamy Golden Years. I can understand Mr. Lever's decision to cheat a little in the end.
This story is like "Heart of Darkness" meets "Seize the Day." Remember how Wilhem in "Seize" was so financially desperate that he staked the last resources he had on an ill-advised get-rich scheme? Everyone but him could see him barreling toward a train wreck. Imagine if, on top of that, he had to deal with a completely foreign culture and climate!
ReplyDeleteI know it's been a long time since we've read "Seize," but do you see any important differences in their characters?
(I should add that I enjoyed this story immensely more than Bellow's "Seize the Day." And it begs the question: Why did Bellow need 130 pages to accomplish less — in my view — than what Greene did in 16?)
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning Bellow's "Seize the Day," kc. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the comparison.
ReplyDeleteI felt more sympathy for Mr. Lever just because it seemed like everything conspired against him - he struggled but couldn't make it better. Wilhelm, though, seemed to keep making bad choices despite several opportunities to stop. And yes, the luck vs. merit issue crops up in both stories.
Excellent connection! I agree with Shanxi, Mr. Lever evoked a lot more sympathy as a character. Unlike Wilhelm, he was doing everything he could to better his situation. Can you see Wilhelm risking his neck out in the jungle? Also, Mr. Lever was thinking primarily of supporting his ailing wife, whereas Wilhelm was happy to abandon his family and was bitter about the support he had to give them.
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