The American Dream Summary/Analysis

·         Author-Edward Albee, born 1928, had tumultuous childhood, works reflect Theatre of the Absurd

·         Setting-1960’s apartment in America

·         Plot-Mommy and Daddy are in the apartment talking.  Mommy tells Daddy her story about buying a hat and they have a discussion about never being able to get satisfaction.  Mommy also shows her dominance over Daddy by telling him to repeat things she says.  Grandma enters with a bunch of wrapped boxes.  They talk about old people, the boxes, and randomly wonder about when “they” will arrive.  Finally, “they” arrive, and we see that it is actually just Mrs. Barker.  Neither Mrs. Barker or Mommy and Daddy seem to know why she is here.  We learn that Mrs. Barker is from the Bye-Bye Adoption agency and that Mommy and Daddy had adopted a “bumble” but mutilated and killed it so they wanted to get their money back.  A good-looking Young Man shows up at the apartment looking for work, saying he will do anything for money.  Grandma calls him the American Dream, seemingly perfect, however, he reveals that he is empty inside and has no feelings since he was separated from his twin, who was the “bumble.”  Grandma sorts everything out and has the Young Man be the replacement kid for Mommy and Daddy.  She leaves to direct the play and stops it when they are celebrating.

·         Significant Characters-Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Mrs. Barker, Young Man

·         Albee writes in the style of the Theatre of the Absurd but not exactly.  There is confusion, unexpected events, and a lot of mutilated language.  He also writes as a person who is fed up with the American society, the seemingly perfect dream that everyone tries to achieve and the commercialism of American life.  This play mocks the American ideal.  There isn’t much imagery or symbolism except for the wrapped up boxes that Grandma has.  The boxes are wrapped very nicely but they don’t really contain much except for some old relics of Grandma’s life.  This represents the American dream that everyone wants. 

·         “That’s just the way things are today, you just can’t get satisfaction” –Daddy.  The characters of this play seem obsessed with getting satisfaction, but can’t achieve it.  Mommy and Daddy discuss it, and throughout the play, they want to get satisfaction with a new “bumble.”  “I’ll do almost anything for money”-Young Man.  This quote is when the Young Man shows up at the apartment.  Since the Young Man represents the new American Dream, it shows that the dream that the American people desire revolves around money and that their lives revolve around money.  “So, let’s leave things as they are right now…while everybody’s happy…while everybody’s got what he wants…or everybody’s got what he thinks he wants”-Grandma.  This quote shows the way that American people think.  They are satisfied with whatever looks good and they don’t pursue it further. 

·         Theme: American society is not as perfect as the image of the American Dream makes it seem.

·         The setting of this play is a simple apartment where Mommy and Daddy spend most of their time.  Daddy is not masculine at all and is ruled by Mommy.  They aren’t the loving parents, given their names, and can’t have kids so they have to adopt a child.  However, they mutilate and kill the first baby they get.  The American Dream is for everyone to live in a house with a loving spouse and with kids.  None of these things apply to the family in The American Dream.  Also, the characters in this play try to achieve satisfaction and they try to buy satisfaction, which reflects the commercialism of American society.  Albee mocks the American society by creating characters that contradicts the American ideal of family.  The symbols of the Young Man shows that the new American Dream looks nice, but is empty on the inside.  This is also shown through the nicely wrapped boxes that contain Grandma’s belongings.