Open Prompt #3 REVISED

1975. Although literary critics have tended to praise the unique in literary characterizations, many authors have employed the stereotyped character successfully. Select one work of acknowledged literary merit and in a well-written essay, show how the conventional or stereotyped character or characters function to achieve the author's purpose.

The American Dream, a play written by Edward Albee, characterizes the “new american” dream as a misplaced and lost “old american dream.” Albee does not merely tell the reader who is the new american dream and why they do not exhibit hardworking, persevering values but instead uses names such as “Mommy” and “Daddy” to connote the opposite of what he means so that the reader themselves can understand what has happened to the American Dream. By using these stereotypes, Albee creates expectations in order to destroy them and universalizes the breakdown of the American Dream.

The stereotypical characterization of a “mommy” is one that is loving, nurturing, and has children. Albee uses this stereotype to exaggerate that Mommy in The American Dream is actually the opposite. She is a controlling, self-absorbed woman who only cares about herself. She has emasculated Daddy and prides herself in her ability to control him. She is known to be the “typical” bad mother, which is exhibited when Albee talks of her cutting up her “bumble”. She tells Daddy that it is impossible to find satisfaction these days so she must spend useless amounts of time buying objects, such as the beige hat, until her needs are satisfied. In addition she tells Daddy that he must give her all his money when he dies because she allowed him to “bump his uglies” on her. This characteristic shows how the new dream has made the human being into a commodity. By naming his main character the opposite of what she really his, Albee better conveys his feelings towards the new American Dream. Through amplifying Mommy’s characteristics of wanting every object that passes through her hands and that she is only interested with what people think of her the reader is able to interpret what Albee’s means of the “new american dream.” Mommy is shown to have lost her way in what is important in life, which portrays Albee’s opinion of how the American dream has been falsified and only cares

Albee does the same with the character of Daddy, my naming him “Daddy” Albee sets up the reader to think that he is going to be one that works hard and bring home the money, directs the household, and influences the decision of his wife but when one find that this is not true it is more of a surprise. Daddy is portrayed to be an extremely childlike character that never knows what to do and is frequently emasculated by Mommy. This is shown when Daddy is hesitant of opening the door for Mrs. Barker. He needs Mommy’s approval and assurance to perform this easy task and once he does he thinks extremely highly of himself when in reality he has just opened the door. The revelation that Daddy is actually not anything like a “Daddy”, allows the reader to interpret that Albee believes that the American dram had been emasculated in the fact that people have a lost a sense of themselves.

Through the use of stereotypes, Albee effectively contrasts the values of the old and new American dreams. The old American dream values hard work and independence whereas the new American dream only cares about materialistic objects and do not work hard at their goals.