The New York Garbageman, by E.B. White, sounds satirical.

White’s exaggerated diction and similes suggest that the New York garbageman annoys the community.

“There is no one in all New York we envy more than the garbageman.” This first sentence puts the garbageman on a pedestal of mockery as ALL of New York feel a type of way about them. White uses “envy” to describe the feelings toward the men who pick up garbage for a living. To say that New Yorkers envy garbagemen must mean that their feeling to be like them is very strong.

“Not even a fireman gets so much fun out of life.” This following sentence compares garbagemen to someone respected and considered a hero. Not to undermine the service garbagemen provide today, but White, in 1930, draws a contrast between the two.

White describes how the garbageman performs the job. The garbageman “goes banging down the street without a thought for anyone. He clatters his cans…he scatters ashes…is shrewd in measuring his pace.” White’s diction portrays the garbageman as careless and reckless.

When White talks about the garbageman scattering the ashes, he refers back to the time when that was a resolved controversy and one-horse dump carts were covered. Perhaps others had a problem with scattering ashes in the wind, but White chooses to compare the garbageman to that particular circumstance.

The garbageman drives how he pleases through “red lights and green, and backs his truck over the crossing with more privilege than a baby carriage on Fifth Avenue.” Babies are innocent and vulnerable creatures that the garbageman has no regard for, as suggested in the text.

Pirates have a reputation of being sneaky, greedy, and loud. White compares the garbageman to a pirate.

The last line says, “[The garbagemen] have the town by the tail and they know it.” This plays along with the idea that garbagemen think they have power in the city and act as if they do.