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A review by paul_cornelius
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit by Sloan Wilson, Jonathan Franzen
5.0
Sloan Wilson's novel has provided a misunderstood iconic image from the 1950s. Often mistaken as a symbol for conformity and the rise of the organization man, Wilson's protagonist, Tom Rath, is actually the opposite. He has replaced one uniform, that of an army paratrooper, with another, the gray flannel suit of corporate America. Both are items from wars. The paratrooper fought in World War II against both the Germans and Japanese--and Tom's life itself was in danger. But Tom the executive assistant to the head of a giant broadcasting company is also fighting a war, one where he wants enough money for his family but does not want to surrender his soul to a career that will take him from that family.
That is the essence of the novel. Tom is rebelling. So is his wife, Betsy. Neither of them are conformists and could not be further from the cliched imagery of the 1950s and the world of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriett or Leave It to Beaver. Tom and Betsy are self aware. And the fact is that there were a lot of people who were self aware during that decade. The cliche of a society living within the conformity of rigid social expectations and morality was just that, a cliche. Things, in fact, were changing. Wilson goes at some length to expose these changes through the presence in Tom's memory of Maria, an Italian bar girl he had lived with for some months in 1944 and with whom he had an illegitimate son. At book's end, Tom reveals the situation to Betsy, who, after being devastated, finally agrees with Tom about supporting the child.
Thus are the conventions of puritanical morals struck down. Next up is the image of the career man. Tom is simply unwilling to follow in the footsteps of his boss and sacrifice his family life for a job. He realizes the need for money but not the need to barely see his wife and children, leaving them to become strangers while he spends his time in the office. Instead, he is satisfied working for a charitable trust. His boss recognizes his value and fosters him in the endeavor. In fact, his boss, Ralph Hopkins, is the mirror image of Tom. He is the outward picture of success, worth $5 million. But he is estranged from his wife, never lives at home, his son has died in the war, and his reckless daughter is on the path to ruin due to the lack of adequate parental guidance. Hopkins is the true failure, not Tom.
This novel was a constant point of cultural reference in the 1950s. It became so pervasive that it soon was parodied by comedians and other entertainers. The one I most remember is Stan Freberg's take on the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit as a werewolf. But the book has gradually disappeared from public consciousness, despite a small revival or two every thirty years or so. Today, on the cusp of the third decade of the twenty-first century, it is all but forgotten. For despite all its anger and rebellion, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit also depicted an America where the path to success was not only possible but likely--even if you didn't always conform. That isn't the case today. That America is gone. And Wilson's novel is like a relic from a time capsule.
That is the essence of the novel. Tom is rebelling. So is his wife, Betsy. Neither of them are conformists and could not be further from the cliched imagery of the 1950s and the world of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriett or Leave It to Beaver. Tom and Betsy are self aware. And the fact is that there were a lot of people who were self aware during that decade. The cliche of a society living within the conformity of rigid social expectations and morality was just that, a cliche. Things, in fact, were changing. Wilson goes at some length to expose these changes through the presence in Tom's memory of Maria, an Italian bar girl he had lived with for some months in 1944 and with whom he had an illegitimate son. At book's end, Tom reveals the situation to Betsy, who, after being devastated, finally agrees with Tom about supporting the child.
Thus are the conventions of puritanical morals struck down. Next up is the image of the career man. Tom is simply unwilling to follow in the footsteps of his boss and sacrifice his family life for a job. He realizes the need for money but not the need to barely see his wife and children, leaving them to become strangers while he spends his time in the office. Instead, he is satisfied working for a charitable trust. His boss recognizes his value and fosters him in the endeavor. In fact, his boss, Ralph Hopkins, is the mirror image of Tom. He is the outward picture of success, worth $5 million. But he is estranged from his wife, never lives at home, his son has died in the war, and his reckless daughter is on the path to ruin due to the lack of adequate parental guidance. Hopkins is the true failure, not Tom.
This novel was a constant point of cultural reference in the 1950s. It became so pervasive that it soon was parodied by comedians and other entertainers. The one I most remember is Stan Freberg's take on the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit as a werewolf. But the book has gradually disappeared from public consciousness, despite a small revival or two every thirty years or so. Today, on the cusp of the third decade of the twenty-first century, it is all but forgotten. For despite all its anger and rebellion, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit also depicted an America where the path to success was not only possible but likely--even if you didn't always conform. That isn't the case today. That America is gone. And Wilson's novel is like a relic from a time capsule.