He's at the Office by Allan Gurganus
"He’s at the Office" by Allan Gurganus is a poignant exploration of aging, memory loss, and the challenges of retirement through the lens of the Markham family. The story centers on Dick Markham, an aging man grappling with forced retirement due to significant memory lapses that complicate his ability to adjust to life outside of work. His son, Dick Jr., narrates the family's struggles as they try to care for him while navigating the emotional and practical implications of his decline. Throughout the narrative, the ramifications of Dick Markham's past, particularly his experiences during World War II and his long tenure with Integrity Office Supplier, are woven into the fabric of his identity, affecting his relationships and sense of self.
As his condition worsens, the dynamics of the household shift, placing a burden on his wife, Betty, who must adapt to the role of caretaker. In a creative attempt to restore normalcy, Dick Jr. reconstructs his father’s past work environment at home, allowing the elder Markham to reclaim a sense of purpose and routine. This decision leads to a bittersweet resolution for the family, as they find a way to balance care with their own needs, culminating in a peaceful yet poignant ending. The narrative delves into themes of nostalgia, familial love, and the often-unseen challenges faced by those dealing with decline and caregiving.
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He's at the Office by Allan Gurganus
First published: 1999
Type of plot: Realism, war
Time of work: The late 1990's
Locale: An eastern U.S. city
Principal Characters:
Dick Markham , a businesspersonMiss Green , his secretaryBetty Markham , his wifeDick Markham, Jr. , his son
The Story
"He's at the Office" is the story of an aging man forced from his job because of his increasingly common memory lapses and of his wife and son, who try to care for him. The father has severe trouble dealing with retirement, for reasons that stretch back more than fifty years, to the 1940's.
Before his forced retirement, Dick Markham was a devoted employee of Integrity Office Supplier, a manufacturer of high-quality office goods. The company did a thriving business from the 1940's into the 1970's, when it was bought by a German firm. With the onset of computers, the steadfastly conservative nature of the business spelled its slow decline. Markham seemed intent on making up for the slowing business by increasing his efforts. Always a hard worker, he spent more time in the office than before.
Markham had not always been so heavily devoted to the working world. As fun-loving as any other young man before World War II, his experience in that conflict had turned him into a sober-minded man of business. Something about his entry to the working world, moreover, deeply affected him. This was apparent in his daily apparel. He never abandoned the styles of the 1940's, affecting them to his last day.
Dick Markham, Jr., narrates his father's story. He relates that four years earlier, he received a phone call from someone in his father's office building. His father, he learned, had become disoriented and was banging on the door of the office a floor above his own, demanding that they let him in and also that they release his secretary, Miss Green, who he supposed was being held hostage. Dick, Jr., went to help his father and escorted him to the correct floor. He then quizzed Miss Green about his father and learned that she had been covering for his father's small lapses of memory for some time. Now, however, they were increasing in frequency, and were becoming more serious. Throughout the older Markham's career, Miss Green had been his perfect match in the business. Like him, she had continued wearing styles made popular in the 1940's.
Once he is forced into retirement, Markham becomes a burden to his wife, Betty, who had enjoyed a considerable social life and now finds herself in the role of caretaker. Markham's inability to adjust to a life of being constantly at home occasionally takes a violent turn, which leads Betty to consider surrendering their savings in order to put him in a care facility.
Dick, Jr., wanting to keep Miss Green abreast of developments, visits her in a retirement home and is surprised to find her now looking up-to-date in appearance. He learns she had maintained her look all those years for the sake of his father's peace of mind. He had been unable to cope, otherwise. When Dick, Jr., then visits a local Salvation Army and sees a homeless man asleep at some old office furniture, an idea is born in his mind that seems to offer a solution to his father's problems.
With the help of his mother, he recreates his father's old Integrity office in a spare room and scatters some old paperwork. Making the elder Markham dress for work and put on his hat, Dick, Jr., walks him around the block, then escorts the old man back inside to his new office at home. Even though the elder Markham is aware of the ruse, he accepts it. The balance of household life is restored. Thereafter, Markham daily goes to his office, where old habit and routine can still comfortably guide his actions. Meanwhile, his wife regains the freedom she needs to pursue a satisfying social life.
When Dick, Jr., finally relaxes enough to take a vacation with his own family, he receives a call from his mother, saying his father has died, peacefully, in his office.