Chan Lok Huen Daphne
Relationship between the ongoing pursuit of money and work
People still work hard to earn more money even after they become a billionaire. Will
there ever be a day when we accumulate enough money and can stop working? Individuals
receive income from work and spend the money on goods and services. The more they earn,
the more goods and higher quality services they can attain and possess. In a capitalist society,
as depicted in J. C. Chandor’s Margin Call and George Saunders’ “Jon”, a person’s wealth is
a major factor in determining one’s position in the social hierarchy. Consequently, the
individualistic need for money compensation develops into an insatiable desire for more
money, which dominates the ways of working and compels people to be excessively attached
to their work.
Fundamentally, money is necessary to maintain a living. Money has purchasing
power which helps people satisfy their needs. According to an article on Egypt Today,
beggars “often ask for money to buy essentials like food, medicine and clothes” (Reda 2018).
The need for goods and services to live is equivalent to the need for money. In Margin Call, a
worker, Eric, has three kids and a house (Chandor 2011), so his salary is used to pay for
mortgages and his kids’ education. Money is required to survive, which is the reason for the
initial acquisition of money.
Merely satisfying basic needs is not enough and people wish for luxuries. In the short
story, “Jon”, the main character Jon works in an advertising facility, where accessors
consume high-class products, including trendy clothes (Saunders 2003, 12). After visiting the
accessors with “Tastemakers & Trendsetters gum cards”, kids “would race back all happy to
their crappy apartments,” (Saunders 2003, 14). The kids have basic housing, but the negative
adjective, “crappy,” suggests that the living environment is not ideal. The kids idolize
accessors and see the luxurious lifestyle as a target, so they can enhance their materialistic
enjoyment. Members of a capitalist society seek fancy items to raise their social status.
Furthermore, the desire for luxuries has to be supported by a lot of money, resulting in
a never-ending cycle of working. There are goods that derive more satisfaction, such as
designer clothing, big houses and delicacies, but they require a lot of money. When Will, the
head of trading of a bank in Margin Call, is driving in a lavish car, he points out that
high-class people can own a car like his and big houses because he helps them earn a lot of
money (Chandor 2011). A luxurious lifestyle has to be supported by an ample amount of
income, which can be derived from financial activities, such as trading stocks and
mortgage-backed securities (MBS). Fancy items provide a reason for individuals to continue
working. Moreover, a higher income can earn more admiration from others. In Margin Call, a
junior risk analyst, Seth, is obsessed with the income of the executives and pays more respect
to the ones with higher income (Chandor 2011). The amount of money earned by a person is
an indicator of social status. And despite earning a large amount of money, the executives still
continue working. On the rooftop, when Will is asked how he spent his income, he says, “It
goes quite quickly. You know, you learn to spend what's in your pocket,” (Chandor 2011).
When individuals earn more income, they will just consume goods and services in greater
quantities and higher quality. Additional income will always be required to sustain their
lifestyle, so individuals can never possess enough money and they have to work persistently.
The unsatisfiable want for money also has a great impact on the nature of work.
Economic activities in capitalist societies have expanded and evolved from primary to
tertiary, and even further beyond the tangible (Kenton 2022). Production has shifted from
physical products to intangible services. Other than actual productive activities, people
continue to find new ways to earn money. In Margin Call, the banks sell mortgage-backed
security to their customers (Chandor 2011). A mortgage-backed security is an investment
secured by a collection of mortgages (Johnson 2022). It is then traded in the market without
any productive activities. This new invention has diversified the ways of acquiring money.
Society focuses a lot on the financial market as it allows people to earn money quickly but at
a higher risk. In Margin Call, an analyst realizes a mistake in their trading formula, and
everything collapses (Chandor 2011). The desire for money drives society to create job
opportunities related to generating more monetary gain.
The new ways of earning money may become extreme to maximize personal gain,
leading individuals to go against core life values. The first level of sacrifice is time. In
Margin Call, an issue that is crucial to the firm’s fate arises, so workers are called back to
work during off-work hours. They then have meetings through midnight, so they are prepared
when the market opens in the morning (Chandor 2011). Employees at the bank lose sleep and
wear themselves out for the firm. At this point, the firm’s well-being which secures their
income overweighs the health of individuals. The second level of sacrifice is integrity. In
Margin Call, after noticing the problems in its financial product, the bank decides to sell them
all, which violates business ethics. However, the floor head, Sam claims that the stock
brokers’ “talents have been used for the greater good" (Chandor 2011). The firm
representatives know that they are not being responsible to their clients, but they have to
protect their own interests, so they sugarcoat the fire sale. Both sacrifices conflict with
family. When bankers work for long hours, they have less time for their families. Also, Sam
stutters when Peter asks Sam if he has told his son about what he is going to do (Chandor
2011). As a father, Sam feels embarrassed about not being a role model for his son due to his
immoral behavior. Work is put in the first place and it overrides other aspects of a person, so
employees strive to achieve work goals at all costs.
Regardless of the various conflicts between work and other values, the pursuit of
money incentivizes individuals to continue working. Jobs are the source of monetary gain. In
a car scene, Seth questions what he did last year to earn nearly a quarter of a million. He
“[pushed] numbers around on a computer screen” (Chandor 2011). His description of his job
is monotonous. Seth believes that he is unproductive. Ironically, Seth cries in a cubicle in the
restroom when he knows “[his boss is] about to fire [him]”. He also claims that the job “is all
[he has] ever wanted to do,” (Chandor 2011). Seth is passionate about the monetary aspect of
his job, which keeps him going even though the job is dull and repetitive. The job generates
zero sense of achievement and workers do not enjoy working at all. As long as workers are
compensated with a decent amount of income, they are willing to give up other priorities.
Even when employees want to quit their job when they discover conflicts, in
particular between money and moral values, it may appear that they do not have a choice.
Previously, Sam expressed that he has “reservations” about the firm’s tactic. In the ending
scene, Sam is so self-condemned that he says, “I’m done. I want out,” (Chandor 2011). The
conflict between unethical business practices and workers’ personal values can indeed be
pretty big, leading to Sam quitting the job he has been doing for decades. Nonetheless, the
conclusion is that he is still staying with the company because he “[needs] the money”,
including “spending a thousand bucks a day” on the medical expenses for his dog (Chandor
2011). With a high income of several million per year, Sam has more than enough money to
satisfy his basic needs. Spending large amounts of money on pets is not necessary, but Sam is
pressured to earn more money to maintain a high quality of living and high social status, so
Sam mistakes the want for “need” and cannot easily walk away from his current job. Workers
in capitalist society are deeply attached to work despite existing conflicts between work and
ethics.
Another character in Margin Call, Eric, is also forced to stay with the firm as the firm
threatens to harm his livelihood security. If Eric returns to the firm, he can “make $176.471
an hour”. But if Eric goes against the firm, his “options” and “healthcare” will be unsecured.
To him, it “[doesn’t] seem like much of a choice” (Chandor 2011) The firm mercilessly fired
him without considering his effort toward the firm over nineteen years that morning, so Eric
is naturally reluctant to return to the firm due to dignity. He also does not want to be affiliated
with the unethical tactics of the firm, so working for the firm will challenge his moral values.
Eric finally still decides to attend the meeting because the firm can ensure that his basic needs
are satisfied and provide him with money that gives him additional materialistic enjoyment.
The reliance on welfare provided by the firm causes workers to continue working for the
firm.
By the same token, although accessors in “Jon” do not receive monetary rewards from
the company, there are other benefits that increase the tendency of workers to stay in their
jobs. Jon’s spouse, Carolyn, wants to leave the facility, so their child will grow up in a less
materialistic environment. When Jon thinks about the fancy items that he is going to lose if
he quits his job, he “got a cold flat feeling in [his] gut” (Saunders 2003, 5). Jon indulges in
designer clothes and abundant food. Without brand-name products, Jon feels inferior. He
struggles to choose between high social status and family. Workers are used to the
materialistic enjoyment that results from working, so they are attached to their jobs.
Money is the life goal of members in capitalist societies, as they believe that it
improves their quality of life and raises their social status. The more they earn, the more
achieved they would be in social standards. Greediness for money is the source of motivation
for work, even if it is boring or immoral. The desire for money also encourages new ways of
earning money in an even faster way and consolidates the old ways. In the process of
sustaining a wealthy life, other life values may be challenged. Oftentimes, money overweighs
family and ethics. Yet, in some cases, individuals can still go against social forces and be free
from materialistic life when they recognize their core values, like how Jon reunites with
Carolyn at the end of the story (Saunders 2003, 22), indicating that he chooses family over
luxuries. Overall, the cultural view toward money in a capitalist society imposes barriers for
individuals to maintain a work-life balance.
Works Cited
Chandor, J. C. 2011. Margin Call. United States: Lionsgate.
Johnson, Jamie. “What Are Mortgage-Backed Securities?” Rocket Mortgage. September 16,
2022. https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/mortgage-backed-securities.
Kenton, Will. “What Is an Economic Sector and How Do the 4 Main Types Work?”
Investopedia. October 8, 2022. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sector.asp.
Reda, Lolwa. “Making a Livelihood out of Begging.” Egypt Today. June 27, 2018.
https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/6/52898/Making-a-livelihood-out-of-begging.
Saunders, George. “Jon.” The New Yorker, January 20, 2003.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/01/27/jon.