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Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
The Brutal Natures of Youth and Wealth
Many of the characters in Manhattan Transfer are actors and actresses who live in a city obsessed with looks and status, causing them to desperately cling to their youth. Mrs. Sunderland’s apartments always smell of cosmetics, creams, and lotions because their residents’ futures all depend solely on their looks. This relentless preoccupation with youth and beauty makes living in New York City difficult for all performers. They need to look youthful and beautiful, not just on stage but whenever they are in public. As with all of the city’s harsh standards, this one drives people to dark places as their beauty naturally erodes with time. Ellen is able to escape the difficultly of being an aging Broadway actress, yet she still feels the sting of getting older. This is brutally illustrated as she looks mournfully at her own reflection at Madame Soubrine’s seamstress shop near the end of the novel. This concern is part of why she finally agrees to marry George, a man she does not love. By marrying him, she will be financially secure and safe from the city’s relentless need to feed on its denizens’ youth, and Ellen will no longer need to rely on maintaining it in order to survive.
The poor are also victims of the city's obsession with wealth and status. For example, Joe Harland becomes an unknown hobo as soon as his luck on Wall Street runs out. Meanwhile, Bud Korpenning is repeatedly tricked and outwitted by people who see him as a poor country boy. The Merivales represent the quintessential wealthy New York family. Having achieved this status, they have adopted New York’s superficial standards and reject anyone, even their own family members, who simply do not measure up. James Merivale, in particular, looks down on his cousin Jimmy because Jimmy has chosen to reject his family’s money and connections in the financial world to become a reporter. The family also does nothing to help Joe Harland, who is clearly beyond the point of helping himself. Dos Passos also introduces Jake Silverman and his mistress Rosie near the novel's end. Jake attempts to pull a fast one on an associate by convincing him that he has money. This is important because in Dos Passos’s New York, if Jake has money, then he is someone worthy of and entitled to respect. He makes Rosie play the part by putting on all her finest accessories. This charade is only enough for a short time in a wealth-obsessed city. Jake is ultimately found out and arrested because his wealth is only a farce. The city, with all its superficiality, inevitably roots out those who do not live up its exacting standards.
The Power of Advertising and Consumerism
Advertisements are ubiquitous throughout the novel, and they reflect the rampant capitalism and consumerism that pervade the city. The characters see ads everywhere and even repeat jingles and taglines in their heads, although some are more susceptible to the power of suggestion than others. For example, an anonymous character in the first chapter sees an ad for a Gillette razor and immediately wants to emulate the picture in the ad. The picture of a clean-shaven man conveys success, money, and the respect that comes with these attributes in New York City. Taken in by the promise of what the razor offers, the man buys it and shaves his beard to the utter dismay of his wife and children. This vignette sets the tone for how powerful advertising is for the characters, whether or not they realize it. Ellen and Stan are the two main characters most outwardly affected by advertisements. They are both more interested in material things than they are in subjects of substance. They also have the financial freedom to get swept away by endless ads because they can afford to purchase unnecessary items. Characters of lesser means notice advertisements less, and this occurs as a defense mechanism. They cannot freely consume, so they become blind to the glare of the ads in order to survive. Although it is out of reach for many characters, money swirls around freely for people at the top of the social ladder. This includes Ellen and Stan, two of the characters most susceptible to endless advertisements as they are more financially able to consume products.
Self-Destruction
The harsh standards and difficult living conditions in New York City push many of the characters to make choices that lead to their own destruction. Stan chooses the ultimate form of self-destruction, and his last scene raises the question of whether or not he can truly be held responsible. It’s possible that Stan makes a cognizant decision to end his life, but it’s also possible that his alcohol addiction is so far out of control that he is incapable of making rational decisions. The demands of living in the city are intense, and Joe Harland would argue that man cannot be held responsible for all that happens in his life. While his fall from being Wizard of Wall Street might have been partly due to a bad turn of the stock market, he actively and regularly drinks himself into oblivion. He never takes responsibility, but his alcohol abuse surely influences his financial ruin. Bud’s inability to find work and the way he is constantly marginalized even by other members of the working class proves too much for him. He throws himself off the Brooklyn Bridge because he cannot deal with the pressure-filled existence he has found in New York City. While it lures so many newcomers to its shores with the promise of a bright future, the city’s dark demands take a grim toll on its residents.
The Struggle of the Working Class
The working man’s struggle is a prominent theme in the second half of the book as conflicts between the classes grows. New York’s trade unions representing the working class are powerful, and they are at odds with the city’s wealthy capitalists. Bud and other city residents who are not in the union are considered second-class citizens and have difficulty finding work because of the stranglehold that unions have on labor throughout the city. This causes further division even among the working class. This struggle intensifies as World War I looms. Within the confines of the city, union members battle Gus and other corrupt politicians who want to keep them in line. Labor strikes throw people out of work regularly after the war, causing them to live in poverty and uncertainty. For example, Anna Cohen must find a series of degrading and unsatisfying jobs during a garment industry strike. New York is also a city full of immigrants who have lived in countries on the cusp of socialism. They believe that the working man’s revolution is within reach and that when it comes, there will be equality for the people currently at the bottom of the social structure. These characters, Congo in particular, question whether the war is only a distraction from this much-needed workers' revolution. After the war, characters still struggle to find work. Dutch, for example, after failing to find employment and feeling that he is out of options, turns to a life of crime. Even a world war cannot change the rigid class structure of the city.
