1970. Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.
Consumerism and conformity are almost synonymous
with 1960s America. Illustrated impeccably
in Edward Albee’s play the “American Dream”. Mommy’s actions in the play are
clearly a reflection of the currents society’s value of consumerism and peer
approval.
The 1960s were a trying time for
Americans, with the end of the Second World War more than a decade prior and
the start of the cold war. Events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis created an environment
of constant fear of nuclear destruction. Possibly in order to escape the scary
times, the country turned even more towards materialism than ever before. It
also began to value the opinions of others even more, allowing others to
virtually make decisions for them.
Mommy epitomizes both values of
consumerism and the need for approval by peers; this is seen in the details
chosen by Albee. Mommy strives to attain what she believes is the American
dream but in reality is nothing but a shell. Her acceptance and keenness toward
the young man, who Albee chooses to be visually appealing and young two things valued
at this time is a great example of this. Reexamining the hat fiasco also strengthens
this point. Mommy willingly accepts Mrs. Barker’s view of what color the hat
is. There is also significance in the color Albee chose it to be, beige. A color that some may say is bland but
also one that is associated with a higher class versus the color wheat. Mommy
submits to the pressures of society though with an underlying feeling of never
being able to truly be satisfied. Lack of satisfaction is usually the result of
only divulging in the superficial.
Albee’s character Mommy in the play
“American Dream” epitomizes the value places on consumerism and societal
approval in 1960s America.
Again you have some fragments in your opener. I like how you explained the possible reason for the consumerist society of the 60's, but I don't think it was really necessary.
ReplyDeleteI think if you just explained Mommy's reasoning a little bit more, this would be a really good essay.
Make sure that your conclusion summarizes your whole thesis. Yes we know that she epitomizes the value placed on consumerism, but how does this effect her. You mention and give an example of it in your previous paragraph but you need to restate it again in your conclusion. Your first body paragraph does a good job to explaining the first goal of the question, that is to describe the standards, but I think you could improve on really answering the second goal.
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