Mammet

6 Pages 1531 Words

American culture in the twentieth century changed from family values and hard workers of previous generations to greed and status by the nineteen eighties. In the nineteen eighties college students were more interested in getting rich quick and the status they could achieve rather than working hard to live moderately (Whitley 8). It was during this time that phrases such as ‘If you got it, flaunt it’ and ‘Shop til you drop’ were coined (Whitley 1). Literature and theater of this time also took on these ideas. One of the playwrights of this time was David Mamet, which is known for his distressed characters and his use of emphasis on risqué language (Speace 1). One of his works, Glengarry Glen Ross, is a well know play that was made into a movie. In Glengarry Glen Ross, Mamet used his character’s strong language and actions to demonstrate the myth that succeeding in American business proves one’s masculinity. He received a Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for this work. Mamet has a particular style of writing that has been termed ‘Mametspeak’ because of its uniqueness (Liu 1). Similar to other writers of the eighties, Mamet tried to convey his thoughts of the changing times to his readers.
Glengarry Glen Ross is a play that portrays business men in the cut throat business world. The characters work in an all men real estate company selling basically swamp land for high amounts. Their bosses implement a new sales contest where the man with the most real estate sales wins a new Cadillac and the men with the least sales are fired. Their progress of sales is displayed on a chalkboard. The salesmen have an office manager, Williamson, who is a young and in control of the Glengarry leads. The Glengarry leads are the good leads for the salesmen that close their deals. Roma is the top salesman who is a smooth talker. In the beginning Levene, a desperate fifty year old salesman, tries to bribe Williamson into giving him some...