1973. An effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes. In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasure of significant closure has terminated with an artistic fault. A satisfactory ending is not, however, always conclusive in every sense; significant closure may require the reader to abide with or adjust to ambiguity and uncertainty. In an essay, discuss the ending of a novel or play of acknowledged literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.
An ending is just that, an ending. After one reaches this point there is nothing else. Edward Albee uses his play The American Dream to display an indeterminate ending that is appropriate for his purposes. By having Grandma effectively end the play, Albee contributes to his idea that the lives of Mommy and Daddy are not to be followed and actually avoided.
The ending of the play has Mrs. Barker introducing the Young Man to Mommy and Daddy as their new child. Hiding “on stage” but unseen by the characters (except for the Young Man), Grandma observes the action. Just as the characters seem to be happy and satisfied in the outcomes of the current action, Grandma addresses the audience that “[the play had] better go no farther...[leaving] things the way they are right now…while everyone’s happy” (Albee 127). Mommy and Daddy are both satisfied with Young Man that they now have for a child and the Young Man is satisfied at having a job where he gets paid. Throughout the play the characters “can’t get satisfaction” or if they gain satisfaction it is fleeting (Albee 61). When Grandma ends the play when “everybody’s got what [they] wants”, where they are satisfied, inferring that if the play were to progress more that the characters would become unsatisfied again (Albee 127). The ending is set up to teach us what the characters don’t learn. While the characters are focused on having this artificial and fleeting sense of satisfaction, Grandma is letting us see that we can have deeper meaning and a fulfilling satisfaction in our lives. The ending in itself is unsatisfying because we don’t know how the lives of the new family will work out or how they will search to find happiness. Therefore the ending of the play fits the overall theme of being dissatisfied.
Edward Albee purposefully made the ending of The American Dream a bit of a cliff hanger so that you could draw your own conclusions about how the satisfaction of Mommy and Daddy and even the Young Man will wane because of its artificial and fleeting nature.
I think the way Albee ends The American Dream is very important in that it suggests that the satisfaction they find is only temporary and will soon be replaced. You touched on this by noting that satisfaction is fleeting. I think you could delve deeper into this idea by discussing further how this relates to the nature of the times and the shallowness of the American dream. In this age, materialism is prevalent and things are short-lived, shallow, and easily replaced. I think a deeper discussion of meaning would help to add some depth to your analysis.
ReplyDeletethe intro is confusing at first, but I think the follow up not only clears up the confusion, but reveals the witty use of words at it start. However, there is an absence of any context or background here where it is most essential to back up the thesis with some minimal specifics that should be later related to in the essay, and while the thesis does an excellent job of answering the goals of the promt, it does not answer the 'so what' meaning question.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the essay reflects this, and gives an accurate and in depth analysis of how the ending affects the characters and the readers understanding of them, and so forth; but there is a conspicuous lack of meaning discussion and conclusions regarding the author's message. The quotations are stellar, however, and could be put to stunning use if they direclty supported literary technique discussion.