The entire play occurs in one setting: a small apartment building of questionable quality.
The plot is basically that Mommy grew up with Grandma and they sort of took care of each other, then she married Daddy. Her relationship with Grandma deteriorated to near-constant abusive fighting. She and Daddy bought a baby from an adoption service, but were angry when it began to do things they didn't like. For example they cut its tongue out when it screamed, and cut its genitalia off when it reached for it. They destroyed the child, and invite Mrs. Barker from the adoption service to come over to arrange for a new "better" adoption. We spend about two thirds of the play just trying to figure out why Mrs. Barker is there at all, since everyone is so absent-minded they can't remember. Then the handsome and empty "American Dream" young man shows up, and he is accepted as the replacement for the lost child, since he is empty inside already. Grandma leaves the play, and ends the show with a short closing speech to the audience.
Characters:
Mommy: The most aggressive character. Manipulates/controls Daddy, talks endlessly about petty things.
Daddy: Had an "operation" (sex change--loss of manhood by Mommy), gets along with Grandma, still
treats her with respect.
Grandma: The old American Dream. She is witty, harsh, open, and androgynous. The old American Dream
didn't have distinctions for gender. She is close with Mrs. Barker, Daddy, and the Young Man.
The only one thinking clearly. Also, the only one that leaves the play and interacts with the
audience like an omnipresent figure.
Mrs. Barker: Similar to Mommy, yet gets along well with Grandma and actually listens to her. A
"professional woman," she comes to see Mommy and Daddy but can't remember why. Her
mind is clouded. She is also affiliated with groups and is almost always identified in relation to
other things, her husband's last name, titles like chairwoman or volunteer...
Young Man: Completely empty inside. He is dazzlingly attractive physically, but he can't love at all and has
no values. All he cares about is money. "I'll do anything for money." He is dubbed "The
American Dream" by Grandma who really likes him and allows him to take her place.
Albee's Style
Albee uses the word "bumble" to describe the baby. In class we agreed bumble means something foolish or something one regrets. He also has the Young Man talk about his twin using terms like "ova" / "ovum," this is the only place where noticeably scientific terms are used, probably to suggest that the new American Dream embraces scientific advances, which of course were happening at astonishing new levels in the 20th century.
Another style technique is Albee's use of tone. Mommy has a nagging, horrible, bitter tone. Daddy on the other hand, just about every time he speaks it is to please someone else. He almost never says anything that's not "You're exactly right." Grandma has a shameful tone on her speech because she is so disappointed in the kinds of people that Mommy and Daddy have become.
A third style technique is the use of point of view. This play isn't exactly from anyone's POV, it's sort of a silent third person, but near the end it's like Grandma joins the readers/watchers as part of the POV. That gives the play a very strange coming-to-life kind of feel. Also, the third person thing suggests an unbiased telling of the story, which is key because Albee is trying to address all of America as a whole.
Theme: The American Dream by Edward Albee warns that the new generation of Americans has lost touch with traditional American values, including dignity, replacing them with a materialistic penchant for unreasonable satisfaction.
The setting demonstrates this theme. On the one hand, Mommy always brags about how rich she and Daddy are. On the other hand, we are told the house has lots of broken appliances and creaks and Mrs. Barker remarks "My, what an unattractive apartment you have!" (Albee 35). This tells us that Mommy and Daddy are all about pretending. If they were truly rich, they'd have a nicer apartment (or an actual house) and it would be furnished better. They are shallow and only worried about acting like they deserve so much more.
The plot shows this as well, because it is all about how they (Mommy mainly) always want better, and the pursuit to buy happiness has broken down family dynamics and values. Mommy discarded Grandma and even Daddy a little for her selfish pursuits.
The title The American Dream is pretty self explanatory. The story is about the ideal lifestyle of the American people, and how it is perceived now compared to how it has been thought of for a long time. In this case, the American Dream is a young man that's very pleasing to look at, can be bought, and is essentially entirely empty of content and emotion. He is the opposite of the old American Dream, Grandma, who is hardy, clever, and very personable.
Quotes:
"That's the way things are today; you just can't get satisfaction; you just try." (quote by Daddy)
This quote explains how everyone's goal is satisfaction, and the endless pursuit of it even when they know they will never achieve it.
"I'll do almost anything for money"..."...If there's money in it." (quote by Young Man)
This helps tie the commercial aspect in. The new American Dream is something that can be bought, something with no dignity or ethics.
"I don't know why I bother to take them with me [the boxes]. They don't have much in them...some old letters, a couple of regrets...eighty-six years of living... some sounds... a few images," (quoted by Grandma).
Grandma's boxes contain memories, values, and experiences. Grandma is all about content. The old American dream held these things dear; personal growth kinds of things.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteI like how you formatted your American Dream outline/study guide-thing. Your plot and description of Albee are great. I didn’t realize that Mrs. Barker is always identified by other things. I think that is significant when looking into her character to realize that society has shaped her rather than herself. You did a great job identifying the different techniques Albee utilizes, but I think your argument would be stronger if you said something like “his diction creates a sense of…” or “By using this tone the meaning is portrayed as…” This would be helpful to look back on then when trying to shape an essay and you could read how the techniques shaped the meaning. Your statement on theme is concise, along with your argument. One thing that you might want to elaborate on, however, is how symbols also add to the theme. You begin discussing that with the title in describing the Young Man, but I think if you showed how he symbolized the theme, your argument would be stronger. I loved your quotes, especially how universal they are. Your explanations were also very helpful reminding me of the context in which these were said. Overall, another lovely post!
This is a good analysis of the American Dream. I agree with your plot summary and think that you did a good job of highlighting all of the essential points. One question I have for you, is you say that the old American Dream doesn’t have gender distinctions, I agree that Grandma representing the old American dream didn’t have a specific gender, but I don’t think this necessarily means that at the time when the old American dream was in action that it didn't emphasize the difference of genders. I think the old American dream represented that males were the dominant workers and money suppliers as Grandma points out when she says that when Mommy was younger she wanted to marry a rich man when she grew up. I think this clearly shows the division between genders and emphasizes how women in the new American Dream try to overpower men. One thing that I especially like that you point out in Albee’s style is his use of ova/ovum and your claim that these could represent the new scientific age, I really like this point and hadn’t thought of it before! You did a great job of organizing this post and provided great evidence for each of the points you brought up.
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