The American Dream

The American Dream

 I. Basics:

Author: Edward Albie

Setting: Purposefully ambiguous. Located in Mommy and Daddy’s plain apartment which is designed so that it might belong to anyone on the social ladder.

II.) Characters:
Mommy: Mommy’s role in the play provides both humor and horror for the play. Childish, she constantly demands attention from Daddy, throws temper tantrums when things don’t go her way, and is in a constant search for short-term satisfaction. Mommy’s dark side is revealed however when Mrs. Barker and Grandma discuss “the bumble”. Grandma reveals how Mommy disfigured her son, presumably the American Dream’s twin,  because the infant did not satisfy her as she expected.

Daddy: Throughout the play, Daddy is bullied by Mommy. Although he too is on a search for satisfaction,  Mommy has so crippled Daddy that he cannot even summon the courage to open a door let alone begin his quest for satisfaction. Daddy is a weak character at the whims of the stronger female roles in the play.

Grandma: The most sensible of the characters in the American Dream, Grandma represents the old American Dream.  Frequent references are made to her “rural” and outdated ways illustrating a shift in values in the American people. Grandma also acts as a director for the play guiding the action as she sees fit. Towards the end of the play she breaks the fourth wall and is the character who ends the show.

Mrs. Barker: Mrs. Barker represents the nameless athority who dictates the values of the American people. Mommy and Daddy constantly seek attention from her and she extremely involved with clubs and socials illustrating her social power.

The American Dream: A young man who appears glamorous on the inside but hollow on the outside. He is willing to “do anything for a price” and associates himself with Hollywood. Instantly, Mommy attempts to buy him, hoping for yet again satisfaction. The irony of this is that Mommy destroyed anything meaningful in the American Dream when she destroyed his twin and thus is left with emptiness.

III.)Plot
1. Mommy and Daddy are situated on two chairs. They discuss their impatience with an ambiguous “they” who was supposed to meet them at their apartment. To pass the time, Mommy tells an anecdote about a conflict revolving around the color of a hat. This triviality is interrupted however by Grandma’s appearance. She appears to be carrying a tower of boxes and Mommy and Daddy’s conversation switches to Grandma. This talk is then interrupted by the ring of the doorbell. Daddy, timid to answer the door, approaches it at Mommy’s encouragement. There is some sexual tension that builds up throughout the scene that is broken by Grandma. Eventually Daddy’s opens the door and Mrs. Barker greets the family. Mrs. Barker speaks about her various public positions and more trivialities. The quality of ellison is displayed throughout the scene as the family frequently forgets Mrs. Barker’s name and her purpose for being there. Eventually, Mrs. Barker requests some water leaving Grandma and Mrs. Barker to discuss the case of the bumble and what Grandma believes is the purpose behind Mrs. Barker’s invitation to the apartment. Mommy’s atrocity of destroying her adopted son is revealed, and suddenly the doorbell rings, heralding in the American Dream. Mrs. Barker goes off stage leaving Grandma to talk with the American Dream. The apartment is in disarray because the family cannot seem to find anything, even their very home, signaling a lack of substance in the American society. The family eventually finds their way back to the stage, catches sight of the American Dream, and Mommy determines she can now be satisfied. Grandma decides to cut the play short here leaving the audience with the idea that “everyone is happy or at least thinks they are.”


IV.)    Narrative Voice/Author’s Style

POV: Although the play doesn’t really seem to have a clear narrator, Grandma definitely acts as the play’s director. She speaks frankly and sensibly and tells the American Dream that she must “put on her act when the rest of the characters return to the stage. Finally, she breaks down the fourth wall in the final moments of the play and directly addresses the audience.

Tone: The tone of the American Dream is light and comical. This contrasts starkly with its content.

Symbolism: The American Dream (and his twin), the apartment itself, Mrs. Barker, Grandma, Grandma’s boxes and Mommy’s hat.

V.)    Quotes:
“I have no talent at all except what you you see... in every other way I am incomplete, and I must therefore compensate.”
This is said by the American Dream to Grandma. Here, The American Dream attempts to explain how he has been rendered meaningless due to the disfiguration of his brother. This quote cements the themes that have been suggested throughout the play.

“I went to buy a new hat yesterday. I said, I went to buy a new hat yesterday.”
This quote occurs when Mommy and Daddy impatiently wait for Mrs. Barker’s arrival. Impatient as usual, Mommy demands that Daddy listen to her trivial story. This illustrates the fickle nature of Mommy and furthermore in the American people.

VI.)    Theme:

The decay of the American Dream.

The American people, impatient and careless, destroyed the American Dream before it had a chance to grow and to prove that it could satisfy the people. Now all that’s left is an empty promise and the shell of what once was.