1975. Although literary critics have tended to praise the unique in literary characterizations, many authors have employed the stereotyped character successfully. Select one work of acknowledged literary merit and in a well-written essay, show how the conventional or stereotyped character or characters function to achieve the author's purpose.
While bland, the generic can sometimes be used effectively. In The American Dream, Edward Albee creates the characters Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma all as stock characters, designed on purpose to be "types". Albee uses these stereotypical characters to create a broad image of America; this makes the play’s message relatable to as many people as possible.
Albee uses indirect characterization to give the characters as little dimension as possible. The characters call each other “Mommy” “Daddy” and “Grandma”. These are titles, not specific names corresponding to family roles, which each character acts out generically. Daddy is the stereotypical henpecked husband who just wants peace, Mommy is a gold digger who tries to control everything, and Grandma is the wise old person no one listens to. While absurd, their formal manner is basically what someone would expect from the typical household in the late 1950s. They seem to have money, but may only be putting on airs. This makes the characters even more ambiguous because even their social class, which we should be able to identify easily, is obscure.
The author uses his stereotypical characters to widen the scope of The American Dream’s meaning. Albee’s message is that the American dream is hollow, but by definition it is open to everyone. Because of this, Albee must use stereotypical characters to reach as many people as possible. The play will more likely move people who are similar in some way to the family on stage. Since this group is large, manny people experience the power of The AMerican Dream. If it weren't, Albee’s purpose would become less powerful, revealing a truth about a part of society instead of the whole.
the phrase "on purpose" in your first paragraph stands out from the rest of your sentence. Perhaps purposefully might be more appropriate?
ReplyDeleteThe second sentence of your second paragraph is redundant, but it allows you to lead into your next point. You could manipulate that to make it better.
The adverb "basically" detracts from the point of your sentence in paragraph two.
The points you draw in your concluding paragraph are great, but they could use some more support. For instance, to draw more parallels between the stock characters, you should probably mention the fact that the American Dream is an absurdest play.
Your last three sentences seem redundant.
Great choice with using the American Dream for this prompt, it fits well. I would have likes to see more examples from the text to support the idea of the stereotypical characters creating a broad message of America. maybe add another body paragraph of support? I feel that you could make your concluding paragraph a little bit stronger as well.
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