Life — February 1, 1929 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Andre's Ambition; or Hell in the Congressional Library" This short story by Raymond S. Tompkins satirizes bureaucratic work, specifically in the Library of Congress. The protagonist Andre Galoop seeks ambition and advancement but discovers that even prestigious government positions involve tedious, repetitive labor—cataloging books and managing cards and index systems. The satire targets early-20th-century office culture: the contrast between romantic career aspirations and mundane reality. Lucy LaRoche represents the romantic ideal, but Andre must choose between love and climbing the bureaucratic ladder. The story mocks both the rigidity of government work and ambition itself—suggesting that prestigious careers like "Mail-Order Manager" of a department store or library administrator offer only shallow success and paperwork drudgery.