Fiction and the Business Lesson

Fiction and the Business Lesson

University of Phoenix

Business Literature

September 25, 2007

Fiction and the Business Lesson

With the ever-changing landscape of business and technology, it can be hard to maintain one's sanity and sense of self. It can be especially difficult if you do not agree with the culture or atmosphere of the company you are working for. This may force employees to maintain a work personality that may be completely different from how they truly present themselves. It takes a strong person to be true to one's self and intent in the face of all circumstances. It can also cause conflict if a person is asked to do or participate in something that is in competition with their true selves. Maintaining composure in the face of dealing with or working for someone who you do not like can be very difficult.

This idea is illustrated in the story "Just Lather, That's All" by Hernando Tellez. "Just Lather, That's All" is a story about the struggle of a man who must juggle his personal beliefs with the need to make money and perform his job. Just Lather is told from the point of view of a barber who must service a customer who he very clearly despises. Having worked in retail and currently in an industry where one has to deal with people who are angry and don't always listen, this writer can relate to how it feels to have to handle a situation of that type. The barber feigns interest in the trials of the military man, and it is all he can do not to let his true feelings show. The reader gets the impression from the barber's tone that this is very difficult for him, and this is defined by the fact that the story is written in the first person. Although there is little detail about why he opposes what the man has done, it is obvious that he sympathizes with the rebels he is trying to catch which makes it a struggle to restrain himself from what he really wants to do. The author's description of the man offers a lot of detail and helps the reader to visualize the scene very well. The barber is caught between the desire to punish this man and the competing desire to do a good job. This is evident when he says, "Yes, I was secretly a rebel, but I was also a conscientious barber, and proud of the preciseness of my profession. And this four-days' growth of beard was a fitting challenge."

As the story is told from that first person point of view, there is a very close relationship between the character and the plot. The conversational style that the story is written in helps to