What We Want: Revised

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.

In The American Dream, Albee concludes with Grandma leaving her family forever. Grandma tells the audience that everyone has what he wants, or at least, what he thinks he wants. So, though Albee's ending is certainly an ending, it isn't necessarily conclusive or satisfactory, for as Grandma suggests, the family isn't even yet truly happy, they have not yet found that elusive satisfaction, and they still may have the slightest chance of redemption left.

Throughout the play, Mommy and Daddy just can't seem to get the satisfaction they're looking for. As Grandma suggests, this is because they're looking in all the wrong places--they are so off the mark, in fact, that as they search their apartment they can't find anything, not even Grandma's room. All that should matter to them is a sense of dignity, according to Grandma. But Mommy and Daddy don't even have this, as they throw temper tantrums in hat shops and dismember babies in an attempt to "fix" the broken product. The source of Mommy and Daddy's problems and the heart of the play lies in the American Dream. Grandma's heart lies with the Old American Dream: she is frugal, earnest, hardworking and smart. Mommy and Daddy, however, embody the New American Dream: materialistic, shallow, power-hungry, and wealth-crazed.  

In the end, the Young Man becomes Mommy and Daddy's new "toy" child, their new "bumble." The Young Man truly is the new American Dream, and Grandma even calls him this when he enters the apartment. He is handsome to a fault and not quite smart enough to have misgivings about being adopted by Mommy. So, in the end, one comes in, and one goes out. Grandma leaves the apartment, and her family, forever. Mommy and Daddy chose newer values over older values, and they should be happy with their lot, now that they've finally found that satisfaction, that perfect family image. In this lies Albee's "conclusion."

But are Mommy and Daddy happy? Grandma thinks not. Even if Mommy and Daddy may be temporarily satisfied, it will never last. Like Mommy's hat, which she was happy with for all of two minutes, or the bumble, which was promptly dismembered, satisfaction is directly proportional to standards. And unfortunately, the standards of the new age seem to be exceedingly high. Mommy and Daddy may think they want it all: the fame, wealth, beauty, etc., but what they really want, and must find for themselves, is dignity. Mommy and Daddy's true fault lies not in the societal values they embrace, but their own virtue of pride. For the audience, this conclusion may be unsatisfactory, but surely the intention of a conclusive ending was what made it so. Albee's conclusion forces the audience to recognize Mommy's, Daddy's, and their own faults, and to come to the same conclusion that the characters eventually must. Mommy and Daddy must accept that they will not always get satisfaction, that human beings are not products to be bought, used, and thrown away, and that ultimately, what we want and what they want are not so different: to be loved, to be happy, and to find what's worth living for.

Hamlet

Setting: Hamlet is set in Denmark, in and around the royal palace.

Plot: Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, encounters the ghost of his father, who tells Hamlet that Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, killed him before marrying his wife, Gertrude. Through the rest of the play, Hamlet seeks revenge but debates about taking action. Meanwhile, the "little people" of the play, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Polonius, Laertes, and Ophelia, are killed as they become entangled in the plots of Claudius and Hamlet.

Theme: What is humanity, and what is its role in Fate? Through the play, questions of identity, bravery, defying/accepting Fate, and our role in life are prominent: hunter or hunted? cowardice or courage? who's there? to be or not to be.

Quotes: To be, or not to be. This is said by Hamlet as he debates whether or not to kill himself. He asks whether it is braver to take life's punches and roll with them or to take action against sorrow (end life itself). The question of "what is bravery?" is central throughout the play as Hamlet questions his own cowardice in delaying the inevitable: killing Claudius. Hamlet is impressed by the bravery of sodiers, who march to their death for little gain. Maybe they are just more "little people" caught in a bigger person's net, but they are able to take action where he hides behind words. But is reasoning the same as cowardice? Is it just part of Hamlet's nature? Or does he fight Fate by delaying Claudius's murder?
We know what we are, but not what we may be. This is said by Ophelia after she has gone crazy. The question of identity is another motif throughout the play, beginning, in fact, with the opening line of the play, "Who's there?" It also refers to the clothing symbolism that Hamlet so frequently uses: how much of our identity is built in; how much can we change it? Can you have multiple identities, to be shed and donned like clothing? Or is it all preprogrammed and part of your nature? Yet, as Ophelia says, we cannot know. We know only what we are, not what we could become, should we apply to it. Hamlet may have thought he was pretending to be mad, but by the end, he'd become the clothing he'd put on: he'd gone mad.
We defy augury. This by Hamlet immediately before he goes to bout with Laertes, suspecting he will not come out alive. Throughout the play, Hamlet asserts that you cannot fight Fate, but must accept its workings. Some, like Claudius, try to run from Fate-- Claudius can't accept the bad that must come of his murder and incest. But in the end, Hamlet defies augury and Fate by, not running, but standing up and facing it. He goes to his death knowingly and willingly.

Imagery/Symbolism: The symbols of birds and fish are prominent throughout the play. Polonius in particular is heavy with his use of fish, using words like "hook," "net," "reel," and so on, as well as directly mentioning fish. But in the end, Polonius is not the fisher but the fish, killed by the hawk, Hamlet. Hamlet and other characters constantly mention/allude to birds. After seeing the ghost, Hamlet is even called by the falconer's cry, "Hillo, ho, ho!" The birds vs. fishes serves as yet another divide between the "big" and the "little." Who is predator and who is prey?

Allusions: The play frequently alludes to mythology or the bible. Old Hamlet died when he was "stung by a serpent"-- like the serpent in the Adam and Eve story, where temptation bred sin. Hamlet refers to "eating at the table" when Polonius dies, like the last dinner. And everything is grouped in threes, like the Trinity, as well as the cock crowing sending the ghost away (denial).

Eh.

So more Hamlet. I think that I actually understand the play far better than I did at the point when I wrote the last response to course, though. I actually kind of like the themes it has, though I'll never understand why Shakespeare feels the need to do all the things he does... It's hard to say much about the blogs, since it's been a while since we've written one. I will say I'm getting really used to them. It could mean that a. I get tired of them and slack and write something terrible like this will be, or b. I get better at them because I know how they're supposed to be. Sorry Ms. Holmes, I'd like to believe I'm getting better, and maybe I am, but honest, I'm tired.

Hmm... so Finals are coming up too. I'll have to look at the APE review soon. I'll just have to hope it isn't like the AP practice test we took, or if it is, that I've learned well since I first took it.