Con los oficinistas que regresaban de trabajar

Con los oficinistas que regresaban de trabajar
 

Hello everyone,

Today I decided to reread some chapters in Tinta invisible by Javier Peña and one of the chapters was about the American writer John Cheever.

"Cuando John Cheever escribía sus relatos, se levantaba por la mañana, se vestía como para ir a la oficina y bajaba en el ascensor de su edificio con todos los oficinistas que, al llegar al vestíbulo, salían disparados hacia sus empleos. Si alguien le cedía el paso, él le decía, no, gracias, yo no me bajo aquí. El otro lo miraba extrañado, ¡estaban en la planta baja! Pero era cierto: Cheever seguía descendiendo en el ascensor, bajo el suelo, hasta el sótano, hasta los infiernos. Entraba en un pequeño cubículo, doblaba su traje, se quedaba en ropa interior y se sentaba delante de la máquina de escribir a crear sus relatos. A mediodía volvía a ponerse el traje y subía en el ascensor con los oficinistas que regresaban de trabajar."

It seems a bit strange to me that "los oficinistas" came back home at noon (or around noon) after work. Usually the working hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. or something like that.

Does it mean that "los oficinistas" worked in the same building where they lived and came back home at noon for lunch?

"A mediodía" is definitely correct:

https://bookreadfree.com/565725/13887724

Cheever even had an office of sorts. Almost every morning for the next five years, he'd put on his only suit and ride the elevator with other men leaving for work; Cheever, however, would proceed all the way down to a storage room in the basement, where he'd doff his suit and write in his boxers until noon, then dress again and ascend for lunch.

Although the interpretation that "los oficinistas" lived and worked in the same building makes a bit sense to me, it still seems strange to me.

The only other thing I can imagine is: maybe "los oficinistas" worked in the offices that were not very far from the building where they lived and they could come back home for lunch and then go back to work?

Thank you.

All the workers mentioned in the story lived upstairs in the same building. Eating lunch was only a matter of getting back on the elevator and returning to their apartments upstairs. Whether they actually all worked in the building is unclear, but I would think not.
When Cheever went to his office, in the basement, he was alone, could wear what he wanted, and went home for lunch, upstairs in his apartment, and would see the same workers returning to their apartments.

It's hard to imagine that many workers living in the same place and doing the same thing every day for so long.

Thank you, Rusty!

I suppose the author is playing oficinistas as a colective name for conventional people, just for contrast against Cheever's unconventional trip to his workplace.

His wiki page says Cheever was doing exactly that while living in an upscale apartment building on E 59th St. almost in the corner with Avenue 1 in Manhattan, about one kilometre from the United Nations Quarters. In such expensive zone I doubt many garden variety oficinistas lived there, but most probably the kind of business people, executive aids, professionals, bosses and trusted employees, many of whom would have time at noon to chill and have lunch at home instead of gobbling a tuna sandwich in the break room in less than 15 minutes.

Oh, it didnt occur to me that they could have been executive aids, professionals, bosses and trusted employees, but that makes perfect sense.

Thank you very much, aleC!