American Dream

Summary and Analysis of The American Dream, By Edward Albee

About the Author:

Albee was a homosexual man who due to the times lived with other men similar to him and therefor was not really exposed to women. In effect we see how his lifestyle played a role, for throughout the play the women are portrayed as power freaks who want to overrule men.

Characters:

Mommy- middle aged woman married to Daddy and daughter of Grandma. Married Daddy for his money, has a thirst for power (struggles with Daddy, Grandma, and Mrs. Barker at times to overpower them). Doesn't get along well with Grandma.

Daddy- middle aged man married to Mommy, often emasculated by Mommy, had a sex change surgery, is a governor, speaks in a childish manner and usually supports Grandma.

Mrs. Barker - works for Bye-Bye adoption Service (gave bumble to Mommy and Daddy 20 years ago). Bickers with Mommy and often fights over power; Mrs. Barker acts like she is superior.

Young Man - identical twin to the bumble and represents the new American Dream. He is very confused and feels he doesn't have a purpose or skills so he uses his good looks to get any job possible.

Setting:

A simply furnished symmetrical living room within a apartment. During the 1960's.

Plot: 

It starts by introducing Mommy and Daddy to us in the living room who are having a discussion of Mommy's beige hat that Mrs. Barker claimed to be wheat. Grandma then shows up and with her she brings several wrapped boxes and just leaves them in the living room. We are informed of Mommy and Grandma's past; Grandma had to support for Mommy due to the grandpa dying. Mommy then swore she would marry a rich man and live happily. Mommy and Grandma now have a rough relationship and bicker often. Mrs. Barker arrives and the majority of the play is a discussion among the characters who are trying to remember the reason why Mrs. Barker was called over. Meanwhile, Mommy and Daddy tell Mrs. Barker about the bumble they once had and how they mutilated it so badly eventually leading it to its death. The Young Man arrives not long after and Grandma claims him to be the new American Dream. He complains about how much he feels like a useless shell and how he is missing his twin (Mommy and Daddy's now dead, bumble). Grandma claims to the others the Young Man is the van man and makes him take her boxes outside. Once finished, he and grandma exit in the elevator. Mommy and Daddy re-enter and notice Grandma is missing, all Mrs. Barker says is the van man took her. Grandma then makes comments to the audience as Mommy and Daddy take the Young Man in and celebrate. Grandma then says few words to the audience and ends the play.

Author's Style and Narrative Voice:

This play is told through the narration of the characters. This limits the readers to what they know, for they have to guess what the characters are thinking and make assumptions about their intentions and meanings to their actions. Albee's use of tone is essential to this play, for the way each character speaks is specific to them in order to complete their roles. For example, Daddy speaks in a childish way because he portrayed as powerless and careless.

Albee also uses imagery several times throughout the play to emphasize his point of increasing consumerism and inability to gain satisfaction. This is well displayed when in great detail, the process in which Mommy and Daddy tore the bumble apart is described. This graphic scene adds a dark tone to the play and gives the reader a sense of shock and disbelief.

 

Symbols in The American Dream:

• Beige hat - shows materialism and desire to look wealthier than actually are in reality.
• Grandma's boxes - the gathering and exiting of the old American Dream.
• The bumble - the corruption of the new American Dream, commercialism and lack of satisfaction.
• Bye- Bye Adoption Agency - consumerism (Buy - Buy)

Motifs in The American Dream:

• Gender role swaps
• Childish behavior - power struggles
• Can't get any satisfaction
• Materialism/Consumerism
• Transition of the Dream

Quotes:

"You can't get satisfaction; just try. I can get satisfaction, but you can't." (62).

--> This shows how Albee believed that the stereotype of that time was that women always tried to be superior to men and believed they were better in many ways. This also shows the idea of how much people desired satisfaction. A key problem with the new American Dream is the desire for satisfaction.

"I do wish I weren't surrounded by women; I'd like some men around here" (86).

--> Daddy is lonely in the sense that he has no man to relate too. Not only did he have a sex change but he also is disconnected from other men so he doesn't know what it is like to be manly even if he wanted to be. Daddy still wants to be more masculine, however he just doesn't have a choice.

Theme:

Albee's The American Dream warns that the current generation of Americans has gutted the heart and soul of original American values and replaced them with a materialistic longing to acquire unattainable satisfaction, but there is hope for change.

This theme statement our class agreed on is supported strongly by many pieces of evidence from the book. For instance, the setting supports this claim because the period was the 1960's and during this period was the transitional from the old American Dream to the new one. Due to this, Albee included many examples of how the new American Dream has corrupted the old. The old enforced that people were hard workers, hopefulness, and motivated to work and do their best. However, Albee tries to show that these beliefs have been replaced by things such as materialism and other superficial beliefs.

The plot also supports the theme. This is because there are many instances that show that the plot is framed to prove a point and to really get to the point that people are now more needy and have more of a desire for material items and having the image of being wealthy. This is well demonstrated when Mommy has difficulties with the beige hat. Even though it may be wheat, she wants it to be beige primary because beige signifies a higher class than wheat (working class). Throughout the play Mommy and Daddy are very materialistic and focused on appearances. However, there is hope this may change because near the end when Mommy and Daddy decide to take the Young Man in, they are showing they are finally satisfied and are not at the moment concerned with being a consumer. The title is an key detail to this story, for it displays how the two American Dreams are merging into one, long behold becoming the ultimate, American Dream. These are only a few of the many aspects of the book that contribute to this provoking theme.