Is This Hat Beige Enough?

Do you like the poster? :D Internet memes integrated into school and AP Lit! 

               

  Edward Albee was a writer in the 20^th century, known for his mastery on Theatre of the Absurd. His work, The American Dream is one of his works that contains the literary style. It is set in the American society, with no definite time (though we can presume it is some time in the 1900s) in the apartment of a dysfunctional family.

                The American Dream begins with Mommy and Daddy who are waiting for someone to come for some reason they can’t remember. They argue, waiting for the person to show up, Mommy telling Daddy about her beige or cream colored hat incident whilst emasculating him. Grandma appears with boxes, neatly wrapped, complaining about how old people are treated. The person that Mommy and Daddy are waiting finally arrives; it turns out to be Mrs. Barker, the chairwoman to Mommy’s club. They discuss why Mrs. Barker is here and her actual possession. The situation gets more and more confusing as no one seems to know who is Mrs. Barker or why is here, what Grandma is doing with the boxes or have any memory of the present. When Daddy and Mommy move out of the room to find water (Because Grandma’s manage to hide that too. Talented woman!) Grandma enlightens Mrs. Barker, about the past. Apparently, twenty years ago “someone just like” Mommy and Daddy adopted a son. But, the son wasn’t what they had expected, Mommy mutilating it for whatever qualities or actions it did that she didn’t like.

                Then, the Young Man shows up looking for a hob, seemingly someone who looked “like” a person Grandma had seen. We find out that he has lost all feelings and is an empty shell of a person, losing the ability to feel anything from any of the body parts Mommy had done to her baby. We also find out that he had a twin and that twin was presumably the son that Mommy and Daddy had.  Grandma also shares the fact that she had money from a baking contest she won and gives the Young Man a job; to be the van man. He takes the boxes away and Grandma leaves, as Mommy, Daddy and Mrs. Barker find out whilst drinking. Mommy is sad but goes back to celebrate as the Young Man replaces her son and Grandma.  Grandma breaks the fourth wall in the ending, saying that we (The audience) should leave whilst everyone is satisfied and happy.

Characters

                Mommy-An emasculating, deceitful figure that married Daddy for his money ,shown to be unsatisfied with her life, and caring for Grandma (just a tad) whilst silencing her at the same time. She seems to hate anything that breath and is often sarcastic and caustic in her remarks, though does not possess the ability to land them the way Grandma can. This also suggests a longstanding rivalry and bitterness between the two.

                Daddy- The figure of pity and humiliation in the play, Daddy is being openly used by Mommy for his money yet he does everything she asks him to. Whether it’s out of fear or sheer stupidity, or both, I’m not too sure. He also wants satisfaction and for Mommy to be satisfied, thus making him prone to be manipulated by Mommy (hence the “open the door Daddy”). He is the receiver (or masochist) to Mommy’s ‘punishments’ (she as the sadist). (They probably have s BSMD thing going on, handcuffs and whips in the basement lololololol)

               

                Grandma- She seems to be the closest thing to a voice of reason in the play. Grandma has some recollection of the past, whether or not she is playing dumb or really doesn’t remember that well isn’t clear, and can spit out epigrams and quips faster than an AK-47, constantly complaining about how old people are being treated by society. She’s clever and comes from a rural upbringing and she eventually finds a way to leave Mommy and Daddy’s apartment and finding a use for the Young Man, and she’s able to break the 4^th wall.  

               

                Mrs. Barker- The chairwoman whose a ‘professional woman’ (take that in however many ways you can think of) whose got her fingers “in so many little pies”. We also know that there’s a woman who looks like her that gave Mommy and Daddy their son. She’s presumably the same woman, which is why she’s back at the apartment.

               

                Young Man- The twin of the son of Mommy and Daddy, who feels all the things that Mommy and Daddy did to their son. In that sense, he’s a shell of a perfect person, looking good, having nice charms without being able to feel for anyone or thing. He becomes the son that Mommy has been looking for- a person with perfect form with gutted emotions.

 Narrative Voice/Style

The American Dream, lacks any narrative voice, I think this is Albee’s way of trying to make it seem realistic and self guided as possible. Its style is clearly Theater of the Absurd, the play is both comical and thought provoking, almost a high comedy.  For a while, I was pretty angry at the way the play went at things and honestly, I didn’t appreciate how unclear everything was due to the (what I like to call) black hole of a past (By that I mean the memories go in and are never able to come back out). Now, after thinking it over, I like the ideas and the unique and literal way Albee interpreted the American society.  

There isn’t much symbolism. The boxes, I think, are meant to represent something although Albee never reveals what exactly what they symbolize or the literal contents. Again, the bareness and lack of any beginning, climax and denumounte is Albee’s way of showing the gritty reality in a certainly absurd situation.

               

Quotes

“GRANDMA: Then it turned out it only had eyes for Daddy. MRS. BARKER: For its Daddy! Why, any self-respecting woman would have gouged those eyes right out of its head. GRANDMA: Well, she did. That's exactly what she did.”

                Well, ain’t that great! It’s sardonic and gross but then you realize that it’s actually true and sort of … very Nightmare Fuel-is. We get several things from this quote, one, that it’s totally ok in their society to be gorging out eyeballs. Two, that’s what Mommy did, characterization for her as well as Mrs. Barker. Three, Albee’s use of Threater of the Absurd/his style coming into view and etc. This quote works on so many levels and it’s very catchy because it’s so nerve wrecking.

“MOMMY: You can’t get satisfaction; just try. I can get satisfaction, but you can’t.”

                It’s actually really ironic because I’ve always seen The American Dream universe is one in which no one can get satisfaction and they’re still continuously trying to get it. Mommy is oblivious to this and yet she says it anyways, highlight the main theme of The American Dream; getting satisfied.

Theme

                In The American Dream by Edward Albee, Albee shows the pitfalls of the American dream and it’s connection to materialism and consumerism, showing that the dream is ultimately unreachable and devoid of any real emotions behind its appeal.

WHAT WAS THAT. I WISH I COULD SPOUT OUT SENTENCES LIKE THAT WHILE WRITING THE AP PROPMPTS.  For starters, actually, lets start at the end. We have Grandma, moving out, and Mommy, Daddy, Mrs. Barker and the Young Man celebrating. While we know that they are all happy, Grandma foreshadows that we ought to leave it there before they become unsatisfied (or were they ever satisfied at all?). It’s apparent that Mommy and Mrs. Barker is meant to represent the American public, Daddy, the enslaved government and the Young Man is the goal (the New American Dream) they’ve been searching for. Grandma is the old American dream, one that has withered away and is being silenced by the now-majority (aka Mommy). The young man highlights the materialism in the American society or Mommy (they’re interchangeable nouns) since all they want is for him to look good without having any real feelings or desires behind it.