I would prefer not to: Work Alienation Through the Lens of Literature

Have you ever felt that your work resembles an endless cycle?

Literature often functions as a mirror that reflects this experience with clarity and depth. From Bartleby’s quiet refusal in Bartleby, the Scrivener to Esther Greenwood’s confrontation with professional and psychological pressures in The Bell Jar, literary narratives offer insightful portrayals of the emotional weight embedded in working life. These stories do not merely describe work; they question its meaning, its structure, and its impact on the individual.