Discussing The American Ideals In The Post War Period English Literature Essay

Discussing The Ameri foot Ideals In The Post war Period English lit EssayThrough divulge this essay I sh alone be discussing the Ameri smoke ideals in the post-war period. I will question whether Ameri derriere Culture is all or so conforming to one single undeni open ideal. Therefore, I will be c at one ti handstrating on Arthur millers demise of a Sales hu publickind (1949) and David Mamets Glengarry Glen Ross (1982). These texts argon of particular interest from a theoretical point of view because the cartridge clip of their writing spans a period from the demise of modernism through to post-modernism. As such they offer a valuable opportunity to examine the the Statesn dream.All work force atomic number 18 created equal, that they are fetch upowed by their actor with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of content handst. (Jefferson, 2004, p48)This pursuit of happiness is now what is happen uponn as the American dream. A res ult at heart the maturation of economical trade, the uppermost definition of Americas pursuit of happiness is mastery, often rejecting the legitimate values within the declaration, all men maybe created equal barely the pursuit of happiness soon denies equality.Miller and Mamet, present plays where equality has been denied qualification itinerary for the competitive humankind that is conforming to one single undeniable ideal(Clark). It was Calvin Coolidgewho said, The backing of America is Business(Coolidge, 1968, p3) highlighting America not as a land of opportunity solely a land of capitalism. Coolidge goes on Of stemma the accumulation of wealth cannot be justified as the chief end of existence (Coolidge, 2007, p358). When looking at the two plays, it is easy to see how Coolidge came to this decision. An fast evolution can be seen even within the titles. Millers play close of a Salesman (1940s) leavens that the play is clearly about the devastation of a man who wa s a gross salesman. Whereas, Mamets play Glengarry Glen Ross (1980s) is named after a plot of land, a result that is existence sold. The man no interminable exists further has been consumed by a adult male where selling is life. By using this as a get-go point, it is easy to see how both Miller and Mamet create balls were men are struggling to keep an existence as a result of the American culture.As a Master craftsman (Ric trickys, 1976, p4) Miller uses incredible particular in his stage directions, by using an explode set Miller was able to create dramatic effect. This context can be seen as the remainder taken outrank in Willys mind. This set could overly be used as a theatrical tool to represent the destruction of any male mind, forced upon by the world in which it is set. Furthermore, this setting also manages to retain the Aristotelian unity of condemnation and place end-to-end the play, showing Loman not only as the typical 1940s family man, barely also as a ty pical product of American culture. The bulk of the action takes in Willys family home. The Brooklyn neighbourhood, a fashionable place to be soundspring desired(Miller, 1949, p2329). The first of the set of stage directions say the house is in particular a dream rising out of genuinelyity(p2327) reflecting the need to accomplish ones self-importance in a world where money is the only acceptable goal, all of Willys achievements can be see within the house. What is more, this unity of time and place is also a tool that can be carried along the geezerhood to Glengarry with one difference, the family home has disappeared, the need to accomplish success is no longish to be well the likes ofd(2329), money is no longer an acceptable goal, but the only goal, this is the point where America is business.Benedict Nightingale described the Mamets characters within Glengarry asWilly Loman at influence in the 1980s just as vulnerable but even more driven, even more compromised and perver ted by the pressures of commerce and the harshness of society (Nightingale, p89)The willy loman at work in the 80s could also represent the exploded mind of Willy existence an un-natural existence where e very(prenominal)thing Willy in one case knew has now changed, the world that was changing is now reality in Glengarry Glen Ross. Mamet disregards everything that was once natural the garden, the family, the neighbours. Instead the new nature is that of human nature that has been genuine to close and always be closing(Mamet, 1982). The men are only in two places, either the office or the restaurant by winning away the family scenes. Mamet has created a play beyond Loman, an existence where there isnt a real life or a proper existence, but an exploded mind, a mind full of expletives words, empty words that dont quite connect. This decom fructify of language from the 1940s Death of a Salesman to the 1980s Glengarry Glen Ross is so well presented that it was referred to by the acto rs of the 1992 film adaptation as Death of a Fuckin Salesman(Harris, 2008), not even the language has been completedd, it has only deteriorated to the point that the Salesman has to highlight his power by being that Fuckin Salesman. The characters themselves rarely complete a sentence, never mind finish it without profanity. They never complete a deal and the play does not complete itself.Figure one (to the left), shows a poster for a Death of Salesman it can be assumed that the image is Willy. The image could connote the idea that Willy is no longer in the spot light he is not the made salesman. The character has his back turned, and is a shadow of a man.Willy is a man standing good-tempered in the shadows of a world constantly locomote and so he continues using his collapse got method, powers of persuasion, talk. Willys personal representations of the American stargaze are his brformer(a) Ben and the salesman Dave Singleman, and he views the success of these two men as som ething to aim for, he does not accept that these symbols of success are also past. As Willy looks to Dave Singleman for success, what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four . . . and be remembered and loved and helped by so umteen different people?(Miller, 1949, p2361) His admiration of Singlemans prolonged success illustrates his obsession with being well liked. He fathoms having people remember and love him as the supreme satis itemion, because such warmth from business contacts would validate him in a way that his familys love does not. However, Willy Ignores, the fact that he was a single man still working at age eighty-four. Levene looks to Willy Loman as a Single-man figure, using comparable tactics. Levene uses invention and improvise, he is the performative salesman, and like Willy he believes he can be prospering in the future because he was successful in the past. When he performs the story of his successful sale with the Nyborgs, we actually hear Levine being referred to, as the Machine (Mamet, 1982) up to now he has been a failure Levine believes he can sell like he could when he was still hot.(Mamet,1982) This is Levene pitch-black flaw, just like Willy, he has a tendency to believe what he trusts to believe.There is no growth or resolution by any of the characters. Its contacts Charley, I got important contacts(Miller, 1949, p2344) says Willy. Give me the leads(Mamet, 1982) Says Levene. Willy dies the death of a salesman Shelly says, I was innate(p) for a salesman Mamet, 1982, yet suffers the same fate as Willy. Levene is no longer conforming to the incontrovertible ideal but being murdered by it, the symbolic death of Levine the machine forces him to look back into the past like Loman, he depends of the glory of the past, but in this fast moving world the past doesnt exist. Levine has to try to cling on to identity talks to the end like Loman I I (Mamet, 1982). The only resolution that appears is death, in Death of a Salesman it is the physical death of Willy, and in Glengarry, it is the ending of words, the ending of selling. callable to constant striving towards the American dream everyone seems unhappy in somehow, they concord not reached the incontrovertible ideal that acts as some sort of satisfying completion.As well as the American Dream, both the plays show the characters perform to another incontrovertible ideal, and that is masculinity. A manIShis joband you arefucked at yours (Mamet, 1982) Willy was his job, when his job was taken away from him, he ceased to exist. In Millers essay tragedy of the Common Man, Miller identifies the tragic flaw of all common men as inherent unwillingness to remain passive in the appear of what he conceives to be a challenge to his dignity, his image of his rightful status.(Miller, 1949, p1) Willy defines himself as a salesman, and feels that he must succeed in the business world to define himself as an accomplished man. Mamet believe s that the idea that Willy perceives as being successful is the ideal that makes up the masculine identity. Mamet describes Glengarry as a gang prank about men, work, and unbridled competition (Kane, 1992, p. 256) merging the idea that masculinity is capitalism, work is money, money is success, success is masculine. Mamets view shows a primitive connection to masculinity, it is a gang of unbridled competition a pack like resemblance and Willys inherent unwillingness to remain passive(Miller) means he steps out of place within the gang and therefore cast aside, the same can be said for Levene.Both plays represent the idea that all men are cogs in a working machine controlled by a higher power suggesting there are not only a gang at work but also a unharmed pack of wolves. As Shakespeare once claimed All the worlds a stage, and all themen and women merely players (Shakespeare, 2001,p417). In Glengarry the players are the salesmen playing in the world of Mitch Murray, the world of capitalism has drive so powerful that there is no plan of attack or communication with the boss. This is where we can see the main difference mingled with the two plays. In Death of a Salesman Willy is still able to creatorize with his boss, Howard, not only communicate but also converse with.A raisonneur character is one that appears to express the authors opinions towards the subject matter. In the Death of a Salesman and Glengarry, the raisonneur puts forward an argument against the idea that American culture is all about conforming to one single incontrovertible ideal and in someway bring some morals to the narratives.I looked at the pen and I thought, what the hell am I grabbing this for? Why am I laborious to become what I dont want to be . . . when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I crawl in who I am. (Miller, 1949)For the first time in this capitalistic culture we see a character fighting out against the American Dream. drone claims he is, wh o he is and conforming to an incontrovertible ideal would only change him. Biff is confident explaining this to his father and goes on to explain that he comfortable with the fact that he is a dime a dozen,(Miller, 1949) accepting this allows Biff to guide the conformist culture, and escape from his fathers delusional lifestyle. Biff is now able to acquire away from the conventional. Biff goes on to tell his father You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash can like all the rest of them(Miller, 1949) Biff wants his father to know that he was successful he was a hard working man but a victim of the American Culture. Willy cannot understand any identity that goes beyond material success and a well liked status, all promised by the American Dream. By taking control of his own life with his own dreams, Biff is the real success.It is hard to find a raisonneur character in Glengarry however it can be argued that the act of stealing the leads is a revulsion against the capitalist hierarchy. in the first place the reader is lead to believe that the thief is Aaronow, one of the quieter characters. In conversation, immediate talkers like Moss and Roma easily overpower Aaronow. His dependence on the others is unmistakable as he tends repeat what other people are locution to him. Like Levene, Aaronow is not on the board and is in danger of get fired. When the reader finds out Aaronow has not stolen the leads, he is then represented as a raisonneur rejecting the act, and therefore the dream. On the hand, Moss, who set up the robbery, fights against Levene, the true thief Fuck the machine (Mamet, 1982) this outburst acts as a fight against the handed-down salesman.When looking at these two plays one can see how the American culture adapts to performing to the single ideal through modernism grimace of Death of a Salesman though to the condition of postmodernism in Glengarry, the disappearance of history, the death of the human and pos sibly humanity, a circumstance of capitalism. As the motion moves the gross(a) present only exists by the next sale, there is no time to stop. Theodor W. Adorno says, In America there is no difference between a man and his economic fate. A man is made by his assets, income, position and prospects. The economic mask coincides completely with a mans inner character (Adorno, 1999, p195) the Marx novice then goes on to explain, Everyone is worth what he earns and earns what he is worth(p195) product has become everything to prove yourself, produce and materials good have become an extension of ones self.The sales office in Glengarry represents a pure capitalist culture. Separating men by success, literally by a board, the top selling gets a Cadillac and to the other extreme the bottom man gets fired. In some way this surround is backward, cutting all relationships, every character must work for his own success as well as hope for or intentionally intervene, into his co-workers failu re the system is brutal and compassionless. At the plays climax, Levene questions Williamson about his motives to report him to the police, Williamson response, Because I dont like you.(Mamet,1982) Williamson, a businessman himself, has been trained to fear and hate failure.Similarly, J. Ronald Oakley claims that American are consumed by desires for status, material goods, and acceptance, Americans apparently had lost the sense of individuality, thrift, hard work, and craftsmanship that had characterized the nation (Oakley, 1960) Oakley goes on to express that this materialistic America is delinquent to the aftermath of World War II and that it exacerbated the ethical shift as a consumer culture blossomed and Americans became preoccupied with material goods (Oakley). This has been Willys fate his failure was already set as a man at that bottom of the capitalistic hierarchy. Willys whose world is represented in his house it is an extension of him. Props in the play such as the refri gerator, trophy and table with three chairs(Miller, 1949), have intended to show the different modern lifestyles that Willy, as a salesman has been able to keep to. The trophy represents success and how it was in reach for the Lomans and how they were close to acquiring the American Dream that has resulted in Willys down fall, the main object to his bleak flaw. Miller goes as far to represent the sense of individuality, thrift, hard work, (Oakley) which Oakley speaks of. The author describes his setting as a Solid vault of an apartment houses just about the small. Fragile-seeming home(Miller, 1949), a dramatic devise used by Miller to show Willys failure to be a success and also creates a very enclosed feeling, the pressure Willy is experiencing, in hard to meet the demands of work, his family and in trying to achieve ultimate success. Moreover, this failure and belief is what has carried on through to the nineteen-eighties, merging both plays together into one circular narrative , as long as Americans keep conforming to one single incontrovertible ideal the American dream will stay alive, and the stories of the salesmans death will be continued.BibliographyAdorno in Kane David Mamets Glengarry Glen Ross text and performance. (Vol 8) Routledge, 1999Coolidge in Fuess Calvin Coolidge The Man from Vermont,. Read Boook, 2007Coolidge in Berg The Business of America, Harcourt, Brace World, 1968Harris, Pacino Worldwide Movie Gallery 2008http//www.pacinoworldwide.com/pacinoworldwidemoviegallery/id37.htmlVisited 7/03/2010Jefferson, in Bernstien doubting Thomas Jefferson The Revolution of Ideas. 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