The American Dream Summary

Edward Albee

• author of The American Dream
• Postmodernist author
• author of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
• author for the Theater of the Absurd

Setting

• apartment sitting room
• America during consumerism society - likely mid 1900s
• implied to be in some kind of city setting - apartments and department stores?

Plot

• begins with Mommy and Daddy awaiting the arrival of someone
• Mommy talks about buying a hat, controls the conversation and Daddy
• Grandma comes in with her boxes
• Mommy tells story of her boxed lunches -- shows manipulative nature and insight on past
• Mrs. Barker knocks, Mommy taunts Daddy about masculinity
• Mrs. Barker enters, nobody knows why she's there, and conversation about family and pleasantries -- we find out about Daddy's operation and see signs of a power struggle between Mommy and the other women (Mrs. Barker and Grandma)
• Mommy and Daddy leave the room, Mrs. Barker and Grandma talk about why Mrs. Barker is there, story about the adopted "bumble" -- we find out more about the past and the adopted child
• Mommy returns, summons Mrs. Barker to get the water, the Young Man enters, interacts with Grandma -- Young Man established as American Dream, looking for work, will do anything for money
• Young Man tells his story, Grandma hires him for the family -- establishes Young Man as the twin of the "bumble"
• Grandma leaves, family meets the Young Man, they have a small celebration -- replacement of character, illustrate ephemeral emotions

Characters

Mommy

• manipulative
• in control/power-hungry
• social climber -- illustrate aspects of society in consumerist world
• shallow, focus on the details and lack of logic

Daddy

• weak male character, masculinity replaced by femininity -- feminist movement critique?
• rich man with ambition but no ability to achieve ambition, constantly controlled
• also focus on details and lack of logic

Grandma

• balance between female and male (ex. look like man or woman, Uncle Henry vs. Grandma) -- ideal gender role needs to be balanced?
• believes in dignity and pride -- more traditional values
• makes comments that seem inane but are insightful
• show logic and thinking, help solve the conflict in the play
• possibly symbolizing the old American Dream

Mrs. Barker

• a "professional woman", takes off her dress, gives "satisfaction" and says "Don't mind if I do" -- prostitute or otherwise morally loose
• conflict with Mommy over social status
• shallow and condescending
• of low intelligence, little logic
• has no true personality, seems to be dominated by her various roles in society

Young Man

• called "The American Dream" by Grandma
• twin of the "bumble"
• looking for work and will do anything for money
• symbolizes the aspects of society that are being welcomed
• new values and ideas replacing the old (AKA Grandma)
• cannot feel emotion or desire, let's others take advantage of his physical attractiveness

Style and Voice

Point of View

• written as a play so no thoughts on character's inner thoughts
• lack of monologues allow for less understanding of characters' thinking
• display consumerism perspective through Mommy and Mrs. Barker
• commentary on women through Daddy's weakness and feminist nature
• show flaws of society through Grandma - "Middle-aged people think they're special because they're like everybody else.  We live in the age of deformity."

Tone

• sarcastic, caustic through Grandma's commentary -- illustrate the Albee's thoughts
• bitter through exaggeration in Mommy, Daddy, and Mrs. Barker -- illustrate the flaws of society through ridiculous actions

Imagery

• lack of vivid imagery
• description of baby mutilation particularly scientific but also detailed
• overall lack of imagery allow for reader/directors to apply story to any family in society

Symbolism

• Mommy's hat: the story as a whole, replacing the original "flawed" one with something exactly like it but gaining satisfaction; consumerism ideals; conformity with Mrs. Barker's hat
• baby: the effect of consumerism on the innocent; child did not give satisfaction so it can be maltreated and destroyed without concern or regret; it is a toy
• Grandma's boxes: the life as a whole; beautifully wrapped on the outside but plain or bizarre on the inside shows society - normal and elegant on the outside but warped on the inside

Absurdism

• use of humor to mask horror of the social norms
• Mommy and Daddy are anti-heroes
• people are bewildered like Mrs. Barker for her purpose of visiting (Bonus: Neither Mommy nor Daddy know either)
• circular structure ("Who says you can't get satisfaction these days?" vs. "You just can't get satisfaction these days.")
• sterility and lack of values in the modern world - literal sterility in Daddy and Mr. Barker, lack of values through mutilation of baby
• civilized people acting in uncivilized and barbaric ways - see baby mutilation by a civilized and upper class family

Themes

• "The current American Dream that focuses on consumerism is a plague to the morals of society."
• shown that consumerism is bad through symbols, tone
• American Dream focus on consumerism through the Young Man, the title of the play
• imagery and plot illustrate the horrors of the society, contrasting the morals
• Grandma's censure show the fall of morals
• setting indicate the coming of such a society; normal city around the time of the publication