Short Story This So Called Office By Daniel Orozco

With harsh fluorescent lighting, an aroma of coffee in the air, and the faint sounds of fingers typing, Daniel Orozco describes this mundane workplace as a new employee is given his orientation. While the short story appears to be a description of your run-of-the-mill office space, there are some underlying hints towards the fact that this might not actually be a professional place of employment. The evidence, including the details of the characters and the strange rules of the workplace, has such an eerie tone that I have reason to believe that this so-called office is a ward in a mental institution instead. Of the total eighteen characters, including the narrator and the individual receiving the orientation (essentially the reader), eight

She comes to work exhausted and freshly wounded each morning, wincing from the abrasions on her breasts, or the bruises on her abdomen, or the second- degree burns on the backs of her thighs. (285)

Also, Anika Bloom’s palms bleed, she falls into trances, she is avoided by everyone, and she predicted Barry Hacker’s wife’s death, while Barry Hacker steals to cope with the loss of his unborn baby and wife. It is believed that Barry Hacker’s dead wife haunts the office as well (285). Finally, Kevin Howard was a serial killer known as the Carpet Cutter before being admitted (287). My theory is that during his trial, Howard’s lawyer helped him avoid prison by claiming that he was not responsible for his actions due to mental

This is due to the fact that a mental ward must be kept on a clear, firm, and precise routine to maintain order. It is an unofficial rule amongst the “patients” that you don’t let on about the gossip and stories about people’s personal lives floating around the office. This is something the narrator reminds the new employee more than once, “But we’re not supposed to know any of this. Do not let on. If you let on, you may be let go” (285). Being “let go” is a very vague explanation, which likely refers to getting fired in the office setting, but could simply mean getting transferred to another facility in the mental ward setting. A transfer due to “knowing too much” or “letting on” could refer to the patient reconnecting with reality and responding well to treatment, so they might be sent to a more appropriate facility or even home. There is also a lot of importance placed on emergency routes and evacuation plans, most likely because of the degree of organization needed to keep a group of mental patients on serious medications safe. More rules and regulations include the fact that the characters classified as patients are not allowed to touch appliances like the coffee machine and microwave, they are forbidden from the custodial closet, and have very tight schedules when it comes to lunch and break/free time (285-286). Finally, they really praise the view