CHAPTER 4 – Machine-made Men

In Chapter 4 of “The Ways of Men,” entitled “Machine-made Men,” the narrator humorously laments the overcomplication of modern life due to an obsession with patents and inventions. The narrative begins with the narrator’s anticipation being dashed upon opening what appeared to be a personal letter, only to discover it was an advertisement for patent suspenders and paper collars. This disappointment leads to a broader critique of how society is rapidly becoming a “paradise of the cheap and nasty,” where every aspect of daily life, from the beds we sleep in to the clothes we wear, is dominated by patents and inventions designed for convenience but often resulting in the opposite.

The chapter vividly describes the narrator’s astonishment at the complexity of men’s attire, emphasizing the extent to which modern Americans are ensnared by gadgets and gizmos. From shirts with fake bosoms to undergarments that require an engineering degree to put on, the narrative paints a comical yet somewhat bleak picture of a society lost to the allure of novelty and convenience. The narrator observes fellow passengers on a train, each a walking testament to the era’s infatuation with patents. These men carry about them an array of peculiar devices meant to save time and increase comfort but instead seem to complicate the simplest of tasks.

Among these inventions are hygienic suspenders that promise to cure organ diseases, shirts that can only be entered from the rear, and collar buttons that serve multiple purposes yet are impossibly complex. The narrator’s encounters with salesmen peddling the latest in toiletry innovations only deepen his skepticism, as he is introduced to literary shirt fronts, collar buttons that serve as cravat holders, and even ready-made ties that avoid the intricacies of tying altogether.

The narrative concludes with a reflection on the irony of these innovations. The very tools intended to streamline life and save time have instead burdened Americans with a constant worry over their proper use and maintenance, suggesting a fear that forgetting how a patent works could lead to being trapped by one’s own clothing. The chapter ends with a speculative glance into the future, imagining archaeologists marveling over these machine-made men and their bewildering array of personal gadgets, puzzling over their actual purposes as we do today with relics from the past.