An Interpretation Of American Dream In Glengarry Glen Ross

David Mamet has become an exceptional American playwright and a renowned Hollywood screenwriter since 1970s. Multifarious rewards that more than 30 plays have received since 1975 ascends Mamet among the most successful contemporary American playwrights. He has made an all-out effort to portray the modern American society through his plays with an easy-to-understand approach, drawing gloomy and dismal portrays of alienated American society. Many of his characters live in a declining or downfallen world, even a morbid and mammonish world and the ones in Glengany Glen Ross are no exception.Glengarry Glen Ross is an influential masterpiece amidst David Mamet’s numerous works. The play not only won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1984, but also secured Mamet a place in contemporary American theater. Belonging to the generation of the "Lost Dream", David Mamet continues the theme of the disillusioned dream in Glengany Glen Ross, inveighing and castigating all kinds of despicable behaviors in American business. Facing the pressure of success and lure of money, the real estate salesmen in the play deceive, blackmail and intrigue against each other to get one-upmanship as well as their so called success at any cost. The once inspiring American Dream has become a decaying force as people only focus on material success while ignoring morality. On their way to pursue American Dream, what Levene, Moss and Roma in the play have lost is precious sincere relationship between daughter, colleague and customer other than the previous American Dream.Through the analysis of characters, the thesis interprets Mamet’s standpoints about sincere affection, precious comradery, benign interpersonal relationship and harmonious society from a unique humanity perspective, on the basis of which, it explores the reasons why Mamet emphasizes on spiritual losses from individual factors in depth. Additionally, the thesis reveals Mamet’s benevolence conveyed with distinctive language style in Glengarry Glen Ross. One is his warning to spiritually barren and emotionally indifferent world, while the other is his anticipated return of sincere emotion and noble morality in the American society. With Glengarry Glen Ross, Mamet expresses his insight into American Dream that only a win-win situation of material and spirit is the real success.