It seems that almost every day on the news there is a new death mentioned of someone taken far too soon. In the paper The Company Man by Ellen Goodman, one such death is told about an overweight and overworked man named Phil. Phil’s loss and eventual passing are utilized in conjunction with Goodman’s tone and style to convey her theme of false hope. Goodman's style is upfront and factual, presenting all the facts in a crisp manner and seeming completely devoid of feelings. Goodman continually states that Phil, the company man, is "a perfect Type A, a workaholic, a classic" (Goodman 2). By her stating this fact about Phil, the reader is shown how Phil lived, and why he died. Goodman uses it to warn the reader about overworking and not participating