Author: The American Dream was written in 1960 by Edward Albee. Albee was born in Virginia, but was adopted and brought to New York. He had been expelled from multiple schools while in high school. He was openly gay, and had a partner named Johnathan Thomas.
Setting: The American Dream took place in a small apartment, mostly in the living room of the apartment. Living room only contains a few chairs, and a there are also archways leading to other parts of the apartment.
Plot: In the beginning of the play, Mommy and Daddy are complaining about someone (referred to as "They") being late, reason for this person coming over is unknown. Mommy tells a story about how she bought a hat, makes a big deal about the color. Grandma shows up with boxes, Mommy and Daddy talk about how pretty they are. Finally the person they were waiting for shows up (Mrs. Barker). Mrs. Barker and Grandma are unsure as to why Mommy and Daddy called Mrs. Barker over, though Grandma eventually figures it out. Grandma tells Mrs. Barker about the "bumble", which was mutilated, as a hint to why she was brought over to the apartment. While Mrs. Barker is in the kitchen with Mommy, the Young man shows up asking for work. Grandma calls the Young Man the "American Dream", and gives him a job. Grandma leaves, and the Young Man stays with Mommy and Daddy.
Characters:
Mommy: Acts like a dictator, wants to be the lady on top. She is also quite childish and has an odd relationship with Grandma.
Daddy: Quite feminine for a man. Apparently has had a surgery that gave him "tubes". He is also childish, and allows himself to be commanded by Mommy.
Mrs. Barker: Seems to be a bit clueless about a few things. Works at the Bye-Bye adoption agency, and is chairwoman of the woman's club.
Grandma: The only character that apparently understands what's going on in the play. Witty, and somewhat masculine.
Young Man: Apparently is the twin brother of the bumble. Is unable to love because of what happened to his twin. Is apparently very handsome, Grandma calls him the American Dream.
Narrative Voice: There is no specific narrator in The American Dream, and so there really isn't a specific point of view.
Author's Style: The American Dream falls under the Theater of the Absurd category. Fits the characteristic of " bewilderment, anxiety, and wonder in the face of an inexplicable universe". The play itself is a bit crazy, and the characters are quite oblivious to the major events in the play (except for Grandma). Also fits "humor masks horror", for example, calling the bundle of joy a bumble. Another is "civilized people acting in uncivilized and barbaric ways", for example Mommy and Daddy's mutilation of the baby, yet they seem to be completely civilized people.
Tone: There seems to be many shifts in tone throughout the play. Mommy's tone while speaking about Grandma seems to switch a lot, sometimes it's hatred and sometimes it's love/ admiration. There are moments where the tone doesn't seem to match the situation in the play, like Mrs. Barker's tone while reacting to the story about the bumble, her tone seems to be astonished, yet not about Mommy and Daddy's actions, but about how the baby was acting. Mommy's tone also switches quickly when she realized that Grandma was gone, she started off at a sad tone, but it switches to a happy/excited tone when she learns that the Young Man is the replacement for the bumble.
Imagery: Since the American Dream is play, it's mostly dialogue, though there are a few examples of imagery. When Mommy describes her trip to go buy the hat, she uses the colors Beige and Wheat to describe the hat, giving the audience an image. As she further describes the trip, there is an image of Mommy screaming at the sales ladies at the hat shop. There are also examples of imagery when Grandma describes the bumble. For example when Grandma says "it still put its hands under the covers looking for its you-know-what", the sentence allows the reader to picture the bumble confused and searching for his missing you know what.
Symbolism: There a few symbols that I noticed while reading The American Dream. The boxes symbolize Mommy and Daddy's misjudgment of people. They only noticed the outside of the boxes and how nicely wrapped they are, but they never question what's inside of them. Another is the tracts and tubes that are mention while Daddy is trying to find Grandma's TV. The tracts and tubes represent Daddy's feminism, since Mommy says he has had tubes implanted into him, and she also comments on how he's like a woman.
Quotes:
"Oh, look at you! You're turning into jelly; you're indecisive; you're a woman." (pg. 75)
This quote shows that Mommy is dictator like, yelling at Daddy simply because he's hesitating to open a door. This quote also show's Daddy's feminine qualities, since he is unable to open the door, since it's normally a man that would open the door, and so because he is unable to open the door, Mommy calls him out on it.
"So, let's leave things as they are right now...while everybody's happy...while everybody's got what he thinks he wants." (pg. 127)
This quote shows that Grandma has a clear understanding of what everyone else is thinking. She knows that though everything thinks they know what the want, overall, none of them have what they want. Mommy and Daddy wanted a new son, and got the Young Man, yet the Young Man is the twin of the bumble, so it's almost as if they are getting close to the same thing as they did earlier.
"For its Daddy! Why, any self-respecting woman would have gouged those eyes right out of its head" (pg. 99)
This quote shows Mrs. Barker's cluelessness, and is quite ironic, since Mommy and Daddy really did remove the bumble's eyes. This also adds to how Daddy is more feminine than Mommy, since babies tend to prefer their mother, but since the gender roles between the two have switched, the baby had taken a preference to Daddy.
Theme: I think the themes of The American Dream are Materialism and Gender.
Materialism: Mommy's story about the hat, how color was really a big deal. The bumble, how Mommy and Daddy treated as if it were just a product that they could break with no penalty. The Young Man being something like an upgrade from the bumble. The boxes, how Mommy and Daddy only cared about it's outer appearance. The apartment, how Mrs. Barker calls it ugly.
Gender: Tubes and tracts, how Daddy has had a surgery that may have mad him a woman. Daddy's inability to open the door. Grandma's cover name during the baking contest. Mommy's commanding, masculine like attitude.
Good job doing some research on the author. I LOVE the way you incorporate material from what we learned about humor and Theater of the Absurd into this entry. A few things to think about: Do you really think that Mommy expresses admiration for Grandma, or do you think that she just needs Grandma in some way--maybe in a way she doesn't even understand herself? There is a difference between "femininity" (the word you mean) and "feminism" (which you don't mean.) You might want to work on the quote and theme sections a bit. Remember that themes are ideas, not subjects--that is, they are messages about the world. Try to state them as complete ideas, not single words like "materialism." And your quotes are a little long for memorizing and not necessarily the ones that point most directly to the themes of the play.
ReplyDeleteGreat job! I liked your commentary on the author's style and the tone of the play. I would also try to state your theme in one sentence and then discuss how other literary devises enhance that them. You may want to add a bit to the plot description, but I really like the symbols you chose.
ReplyDeleteYou really went into depth on the style and tone aspects of the piece. But your summary seems pretty brief. I would suggest going into a little more detail about the specific events. Even though you ought to avoid plot summary in essay, minor events are often necessary as examples to prove your points.
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