The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

The titular gray flannel suit is a symbol of the corporate world explored in the novel. Tom often wears his gray flannel suit to the office, as does everyone else. Colorless and nondescript, the suit is a symbol of conformity. The gray suit allows Tom to fade into the corporate miasma; by wearing the gray suit, he is symbolically buying into the corporate world which he wishes to enter. Tom covets the life of a wealthy corporate executive, and wearing the gray suit is the first symbolic step on the corporate ladder, at least in his mind. To this point, he worries during his interview process that his gray suit is not ready. Betsy, recognizing the symbolism of the suit, rushes to ensure that Tom’s suit is ready for his interview. The symbolism does not only exist in Tom’s mind, as Betsy is equally as aware of how important it is that Tom adopt the visible symbols of corporate life to impress the men who will allow or deny him access to this world.

The suggestion that the suit itself is more important than the person who inhabits it—the origin of the common expression “an empty suit”—exacerbates Tom’s feelings of invisibility and erasure.