An Analysis Of The Predicament Of Communication In David Mamet's Plays

David Mamet is an important playwright in America since the 1970s.This thesis reads closely three of Mamet's representative plays from the 70s to the 90s,i.e.American Buffalo (1976),Glengarry Glen Ross(1984) and Oleanna(1992),focusing on the characters' predicament of communication.The thesis makes an overview of characters' frustration of communication in Mamet's plays and points out that the phenomenon can be shown in the features of the language in Mamet's plays.In Oleanna,based on Foucault's theory of power and discourse,the thesis analyzes how the language distorted by certain discourses hinders people's communication.The characters in this play adopt relevant discourses from their own standpoints to assert power over the other,the complex power relations behind their words make communication difficult to achieve;for the characters in the play,language is used as a weapon against each other rather than as a means to communicate.In American Buffalo and Glengarry Glen Ross,the abusive language can be observed in most part of the two plays.People hold a hostile attitude towards each other.Characters pursue personal interests so much that betrayal and deception become common occurrences,and effective communication seem more and more difficult to achieve.By analyzing the features of the language in Mamet's three plays,we can see the playwright's meditation on the predicament of communication.People's over-pursuit of material interests brings spiritual barrenness and moral deterioration,making effective communication impossible to attain.