Student Number: 03421 4080 ENGLISH LETTERS STT]DY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTBRS SANATA DHARMA UNTYERSITY

THE CONTRIBUTION OF'THE CHARACTERS

IN

DEVELOPING THE

CONFLICTS

IN DAVID

MAMET'S

GLENGA.R^RT

GLEN

ROSS

AN I.INDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjarn Sastra

in English Leffers

By

A.R.

ADI TRI BUDIANTO

Student Number: 03421 4080

ENGLISH

LETTERS STT]DY

PROGRAMME

DEPARTMENT

OF

ENGLISH

LETTERS

FACULTY

OF

LETTBRS

SANATA

DHARMA

UNTYERSITY

2010

LEMBAR PER}IYATAAN

PARSETUJUAI\

PUBLIKASI KARYA

ILMIAH

LINTUK

KEPENTINGAI{ AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah im, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma :

:A.R.

ADI

TRI

BUDIANTO

NomorMahasiswa

: 034214080

Demi

pengembangan

ilmu

pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang be{udul :

THE

CONTRIBUTION

OF

THE CHARACTERS

IN

DEVELOPING

TIIE

CONFLICS IN

DAYID MAMET'S

GLENGARRY

GLEN

ROSS

beserta

perangkat yang diperlukan

(bila

ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikar

kepada Perpustakaan

Universitas

Sanata

Dharma

hak untuk

menyimpan,

fte-ngalihkan dalam

bentrk

media

lain,

mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data,

mendisfribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempubhkasikannya

di

Intemet atau media

lain

rurtuk

kepentingan akademis rarrpa

perlu

meminta

ijin

dari

saya fiuilrpnn memberikan

royalti

kepada saya selama tetap mencanhunkan il;rma saya sebagai

penulis.

Demikian penryataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya.

Dibuatdi

Yogyakarta

Pada tanggal :

22

Apn120l0

Yang menyatakan

A Sarjano Sastra Undergraduate Thesis

THE CONTRIBUTION

OF

THE CHARACTERS

IN

DEYELOPING

TI{E

CONFLICTS

IN DAVID

MAMET'S

GLENGARRY

GLEN

ROSS

By

A.R.

ADI

TRI

BT]DIANTO

Student l.{umber: 0342 14080

Approved by

March 30,2010

Co-Advisor

March 30,2010

A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis

THE CONTRIBUTION

OF

THE CHARACTf,RS

IN

DEVELOPING THE

CONFLICTS

IN DAVID

MAMET'S

GLENGARRY

GLEN

ROSS

By

A.R.

ADI

TRI

BTIDIANTO

Student Number: A3 421 4080

Defended before the board

cf

examiners

On March 26,2A10 And Declared Acceptable

BOARD

OF'EXAMINERS

Name

Chairman

Secretary

Member

Member

Member

Dr. Fr. B. Alip, M.Pd., M.A.

Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum.

Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum

Ni

Luh Putu Rosiandani, S.S., M.Hum

Adventina Putranti, S.S., M.Hum.

Yogyakarta"

April

, 2010

Faculty of Letters Dharma University

3\

nl

STATEMENT

OF

ORIGINALITY

This

is to

certifr

that

all

ideas, phrases, and sentences, unless otherwise

stated, are the thesis writer's ideas, phrases and sentences. The writer understands

the

full

consequences including degree cancellation

if

she took somebody else's

ideas, phrases, or sentences without proper references.

Yogyakarta,

3l

March 2010

Aurelius Raymundus Adi Tri Budianto

tv

..YOU

MAY

LEARN

MUCH MORE FROM

A

GAME

YOU

LOSE

THAN

FROM

A

GAME YOU WIN!''

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I

am

aware

that

I

could never have

succeeded

in

finishing

my

undergraduate thesis without the help of others.

My

greatest gratitude is due to Mrs. Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum, who

has patiently guided me throughout my study as my academic and thesis advisor.

I

also owe similar gratitude to Mrs.

Ni

Luh Putu Rosiandani, S.S., M.Hum, who as

my co-advisor has kindly given invaluable suggestion

I

would also thank my family for their moral and financial supports

I

need

in studying and I am thankful to them for their endless love and understanding.

I

will

also not forget

all

my best friends

in

Teater TOEDJOEH.I thank

them so much for the Glengarry Glen Ross play performance in 2008 since

it

has

helped me

to

understand

this

drama much deeper.

I

would

like to

extend my

deepest gratitude to

my

lecturers and the administration staff

in

Sanata Dharma

University, particularly those in the English Letters.

I

also thank my friends in my

KKMprogram and my friends in my hometown.

Above all, I thank God for the endless help and blessings.

Aurelius Raymundus Adi Tri Budianto

vl

TABLE

OF CONTENTS

TITLEPAGE

...

i

APPROVAL

PAGE

... ii

ACCEPTAI\CE

PAGE

... iii

STATEMENT

OF

ORIGINALITY

...

... iv

MOTTO

PAGE

...

v

DEDICATION

PAGE

. .. . .. ... vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....

vll

viii

TABLE

OF

CONTENTS....

ABSTRACT...

...x

ABSTRAK

...xi

CHAPTER

I:

INTRODUCTION

...

I

A.

Background

ofthe

Study

...

I

B.

ProblemFormulation

...

3

C.

Objectives

ofthe

Study

...4

D.

Definition of

Terms

...4

CHAPTER

II:

TI{EORETICAL

REVIEW

...7

A.

ReviewonRelatedStudies

...7

B.

ReviewofRelatedTheories

...9

1.

Theory on Character . .

...

. .. . ... .... 9

2.

TheoryonConflict

...

16

C.

Theoretical Framework

....

...

18

CHAPTER

trI:

METHODOLOGY

....

2A

A.

Objectofthe

Study

...

20

B.

Approach of the

Study

... 2l

C.

Method of the

Study

...22

CHAPTER

IV:

ANALYSIS

...

...24

A.

The Characteristics of the Main Characters in Glengarry Glen Ross... 24

1.

Ricky Rom4 a

Salesman

...24

2.

Shelley Levene, a

Salesman

....28

3.

George Aaronow, a

Salesman

...32

4.

Dave Moss, a

Salesman

...

33

5.

Mitch and Murray, the

Bosses

...

35

6.

John Williamson, the

Manager...

.... 37

B.

TheConflictsamongtheMainCharacters

...41

1.

Salesmen versus the

Bosses

...

4l

2.

Salesmen versus the Manager .. .. .

..

. .. ... 45

3.

SalesmenversusSalesmen

...49

C. The Contribution of the Characters' Characteristics to

the Conflicts

...

...

50

l.

The Salesmen' Characteristics versus the Manager's

...

50

a. Levene's Characteristics versus Williamsonos

...

.... 50

b. Roma's Characteristics versus Williamson's

...

...

51

c. Aaronow's Characteristics versus Williamson's . .

...

. .... 52

2. The Salesmen's Characteristics versus the

Bosses'

... 53

a. Moss's Characteristics versus Mitch and Murray's

...

53

b. Roma's Characteristics versus Mitch and Murrayos .... .

...

54

c. Leveneos Characteristics versus Mitch and Murray's .. ...

....

54

d. Aaronow's Characteristics versus Mitch and Murray's

...

55

3.

A

Salesman's Characteristics versus another Salesman's

...

56

a. Moss's Characteristics versus

Aaronow's

...

56

b. Moss's Characteristics versus

Roma's

...

57

CHAPTER

V:

CONCLUSION.

...

s8

BIBLIOGRAPITY...

...61

vlll

ABSTRACT

A.

R. ADI

TRI

BUDIANTO.

The

Contribution

of

the

Characters

in

developing the Conflicts

in

David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross. Yogyakarta: Department

of

English Letters, Faculty

of

Letters, Sanata Dharma University,

2010.

Glengarry

Glen

Rosstells us about four Chicago salesmen, Ricky Roma"

Dave Moss, Shelley Levene, and George Aaronow, who are employees in Micth and Murray's company. They work together in selling an undesirable real estate at

inflated prices. The play starts as the setting at the end of a month in which the bosses

or

employers

of

the

company

Mitch

and

Murray's

give

an

order to Williamsor5 a

Mitch

and Murray's manager

of

the

four

salesmen,

to

declare a o'sales _{contest". The contest is to award a Cadillac to the}

salesman who makes the biggest sale

for

the

leads

they sell.

[n

addition,

two

salesmen

on

the bottom

position

of

the contest table are

to

get fired. Levene, who has a sick daughter,

makes

a

decision

to

rob

his

office

because

he

needs money

to

finance the

medication

of

his

sick

daughter. Unfortunately because

of

his

sloppiness,

Williamson discovers what he does.

The objectives of the study are to answer three main problems.

First, it

is meant to

identi$

the characters' characteristics depicted in the drama. The second is to find the conflicts among the main characters. The third is to discover how the

characterso characteristics contribute to the conflicts.

This study applies library research to collect the data related to the topic

of

the

study.

This

study

also

applies some appropriate theories

to

answer the questions stated

in

the

problems. They are the theories

on

character and the theories on conflict. The writer also uses the formalistic approach.

The analysis results reveal the characters' characteristics, which, among

others, are

greed,

affogance,

and

over-self-confidence,

and also

lack

of

confidence. This study also discovers that conflicts happen not only between the bosses and

the

salesmen

but

also among

the

salesmen themselves.

The

play depicts the unfair competition among the salesmen, the conspiration among the

bosses to remove their unwanted salesmen, the conspiration among the salesmen

to steal. Finally, it also discovers that the conflicts are made serious because of the characters' bad characteristics: greediness in

Mitch

and Murray's characteristics, unfairness

in

Williamson's, arrogance

in

Roma's, hopelessness

in

Levene's and

lack

of

confidence

in

Aaronow's.

Their

negative characteristics

make

the atmosphere

in

their workplace uncomfortable and lead to no solution

in

dealing

with their problems.

ABSTRAK

A.

R. ADI

TRI

BUDIANTO.

The

Contribution

of

the

Characters

in

developing the Conflicts

in

David Mamet's

Glengarry Glen Ross.Yogyakarta:

Department

of

English Letters, Faculty

of

Letters, Sanata Dharma University,

z}rc.

Glenggary

Glen

Ross berkisah tentang empat orang karyawan penjual, Mereka adalah Ricky Rom4 Dave Moss, Shelley Levene, George Aaronow, yang menjadi karyawan di perusahaan

milik

Mitch and Murray. Mereka bekerja untuk menjual produk real

estate

(tanah dan rumah) yang kurang laku dengan harga yang mahal. Drama

ini

mengambil setting

di

akhir

bulan,

ketika

Mitch

and

Murray

memberi perintah kepada

Williamson,

manager keempat karyawan tersebut untuk mengumumkan sayembara

jual:

penjual yang dapat menghasilkan penjualan paling tinggi akan mendapatkan sebuah Cadillac. Selain itu, dua penjual terbawah dari peringkat sayembara akan segera dipecat. Levene yang memiliki anak perempuan

yang sakit

memutuskan

untuk

merampok kantornya sendiri karena

dia

membutuhkan uang untuk pengobatan putrinya. Celakanya, karena

kecerobohannya, Williamson mengetahui apa yang dilakukannya.

Tujuan

dari

studi

ini

adalah untuk menjawab

tiga

permasalahan utama. Pertama,

studi

ini

berusaha mengidentifikasi

sifat-sifat

para tokoh

utama Glenggarry Glen Ross, yaitu karateristik para tenaga penjual maupun pimpinan

dan

pemilik

perusahaan.

Kedu4

studi

ini

berusaha menemukan

konflik

yang

terjadi

di

antara tokoh utama. Yang ketiga adalah menemukan kontribusi sifat-sifat para tokoh utama tersebut dalam menciptakan konflik.

Studi ini menggunakan metode studi pustaka dengan cara mengambil data

yang mempunyai hubungan dengan topik. Studi ini juga memakai beberapa teori

untuk menjawab masalah penelitian.

Teori

itu

adalah

teori

karakter dan teori konfl ik. Penulis j uga menggunakan pendekatan formalistik.

Analisis

studi

ini

menemukan sifat-sifat para karyawan dan pimpinan, yang antara lain adalah ketamakan, kesombongan, percaya

diri

yang keterlaluan, maupun ketiadaan percaya

diri.

Penelitian

ini juga

menemukan bahwa

konflik

terjadi bukan hanya antara karyawan dan pimpinan tetapi

juga

antar karyawan. persaingan antar karyawan. Drama

ini

memaparkan persaingan yang tidak sehat

antar para penjual, konspirasi antar pimpinan untuk menyingkirkan karyawan dan

juga

konspirasi antar karyawan untuk

mencuri.

Terakhir, penelitian

ini

juga

menemukan bahwa

konflik

diperkuat

oleh

sifat-sifat

buruk

para

tokohnya. Ketamakan yang ada dalam

diri

Mitch

dan Murray,

pilih

kasih yang ada dalam

diri

John Williamson, keangkuhan yang ada dalam

diri

Ricky Rom4

keputus

asaan yang ada dalam

diri

Shelley Levene dan ketiadaan kepercayaan

diri

yang ada dalam

diri

George Aaronow. Sifat-sifat buruk mereka

ini

yang membuat

suasana kantor menjadi tidak nyaman dan tidak memberi solusi penyelesaiannya.

CHAPTER

I

INTRODUCTION

A.

Background

ofthe

Study

Drama

is

a type

of

literature works

that

is

usually created

for a

play performance. The advantage given by a theahical performance, however, requires

the limitations

of

the material

it

can present.

A

play must be able

to

hold the

attention of a group audience.

A

higher demand than in prose fiction is placed for

a well-defined plot, swift exposition, strong conflicts, and dramatic confrontation. Unless the play is very brief, it must usually be divided into parts separated by an

intermission

or

intermissions, and each part must work up

to

its own climax or

point

of

suspense.

It

must be written in such a way that its central meanings may

be grasped in a single hearing (Perrine,

1974:9Il-2).

In this thesis the writer analyzes a work of drama because of its wonderful

aspects. Barranger (1994)

in

his comments about drama or a play states that a

play is written as a process

of

unfolding and discovery.

To

successfully read a

play is to understand ohow' the playwright generates meaning scene after scene in

meaningful

level

patterns. The dialogue communicates feelings and ideas; the

characters give social and economic contracts (Bananger, 1994: 8).

Barranger also states that drama is unique among the representational arts

in that it represents

'reality'

_{by using real human beings -actors-} as characters- to

create its fictional universe (1994:338).

It

means that the reality in drama comes

Drama

is

an

imitation

of

life,

which

inhigues

us

because,

like

a

photograph, it duplicates reality. This fact implies that life and literature cannot be

separated. As what Barranger writes

in

Understanding Plays (1994: 3),

it

is stated

that

Drama's characters are images

of

active human beings.

To

be credible,

their manner and dress must

fit

their period, place, and social class. Their

speech must suit their age, sex, personality, class and circumstances. Their actions must be rooted

in

situation. The playwright's success depends on

skill

in

developing characters

and

events together

in

believable and

convincing pattems of choice and behavior (1994:339).

Thus, we see what the playwright does

with

his actors

-

he uses them as

characters, images

of

man

in

his

many aspects. We pay attention

to

what the

playwright does with the space around his characters, how he uses

it

and enlarges

it until it comes to represent the world in which his characters live.

In

this undergraduate thesis, the present writer analyzes David Mamet's

Glengarry

Glen

Ross.

It

is

a modern American drama and an example

of

the theatre of realism which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama

in

1984 because of the

scathing attacks on American Business practices. David Mamet, who was bom in

Chicago on 30 November 1947, is one representative of dramatists whose drama

drew many

comparisons

to

Arthur

Miller's

classic

Death

of

Salesman

(http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/glengarry/themes.html., accessed

on

January

2I,

2A09).

As

a modern playwright, Mamet portrays everyday

life

of

ordinary

people with their sonow,

joy,

problems, and emotions so that it makes us easier to

catch his ideas and we really feel aware

of

the environment around us. George

Bernard Shaw (in Farlene, 1970: 129) says that Mamet through his plays gives us

not only ourselves, but also ourselves in our situation. The settings that happen to

his stage figures are things that happen to us (Farlene,1970:129).

Basically, a story is learnt through its characterization (Marriot, 1951: 15).

It

means that the existence

of

the characters is a must

in

a literary work. Hardy

(1969: 304-5) mentions that the success of characterization can arouse a trust to a

story

which means that the reader must feel that the characters have the same

behavior

in

their real

life. In

sum, the characters are important elements

in

the

story that cannot be missed in a literary analysis.

The present

writer is

interested

in

analyzing the characters

in

Glengarry

Glen Ross because

all

characters are desperate of the American business culture

itself. Glengarry GIen Ross tells us about four chicago salesmen or employees,

who

work

together

in

selling an undesirable real estate at inflated

prices.

The

scene takes places at the end of a month in which the bosses or employers of the

company

Mitch

and Murray's

send

williamson,

the

supervisor

of

the

four salesmen

to

declare

a

'osales contest": the salesman

who

clears

a

certain high

dollar amount

will

win

a Cadillac, and the two salesmen who perform worst

will

be fired.

B.

Problem Formulation

Based on the background of the study, there are three questions emerging

from the writer's curiosity that

will

lead to reach the points of the discussion. The

problems are formulated as follows:

1.

What are the characteristics of each main character in the play?

3.

How do the characters' characteristics contribute to the conflicts?

C.

Objectives of the Study

This thesis is an effort to discover the relationship among the characters in

Mamet's Drama Glengarry Glen Ross. The chief aim of this study is to solve the

questions which the writer has mentioned in the problems stated above. In order to

be more accurate, the objectives of the research in the paper are summarized as

follows:

1. to identifu the characteristic ofeach character in the play.

2. to

identif

the conflicts among the main characters, and

3. to discover how the characters' characteristics contribute to the development

of

the conflicts.

D.

Definition

of Terms

In

this

section, the

writer

tries

to

describe

the

definition

of

the words

which have appeared in the

title

and the problems of this study. The terms which

are defined are as follows:

1.

Characters

They are some theories about characters. Abrams in A Glossary of Literaty

Terms states that a character refers to a person presented in a dramatic or narrative

work,

'\ryho

is

interpreted

by

the

reader

as

being endowed

with

moral

and

dispositional qualities that

is

expressed

in

what he says

-the

dialogue- and by

what he does

-the

action," (1981:20). Another source says that a character is ooa

figure that

is

relevant

to

every event

in

the story and usually the events cause

some changes either in him or in the reader' affitude toward

him"

(Stanton, 1965:

l7).

Baldick gives another definition for the term

character.In

his opinion, "a

character

is

a personage

in

narrative

or

dramatic work and also a kind

of

prose

sketch briefly describing some recognizable type of person," (1990: 30).

It

can be

concluded that characters are the persons which appear

in

the story, or,

in

other

words, a character is a person who is presented in a literary works. Since Abrams

defines characters as the person in a dramatic or narrative work, (1981:21), while

the adjective main can be interpreted as the most important (Hornby, 2000: 807), a

main character may then interpreted as a person

in

a dramatic or narrative work

whose role in the work is very important or indispensable.

2.

Characterization

According

to

Webster's

New

Universal Unabfidged

Dictionaty

(1972: 304), characterization is "the delineation of character or creation of character in a

play,

story,

etc,

especially

by

imitating

or

describing actions, utterances, and

gestures" (1983: 304). In addition, Sylvia Barnet notes that

Characterization

or

personality,

is

defined,

as

in

fiction, by

what

the

character do (e.g.

a

stage direction tells us that "Nora dances more and

mere

wildll'),

by what they say (e.g. she asks her husband to play piano),

by

what others say about them, and

by

the seffing

in

which they move. (1988: 176).

Another source says

that

chanctefization

is

o'the

way a

writer

makes

characters in a book or play seem real" (Homby, 2000: 208)). Similarly, Baldick (1990: 34) defines characterization as "the representation ofpersons

in

narrative

or

dramatic

works. From

Holman

and

Harmon,

we

understand that

"characterization is the creation of the imaginary person so that they exist for the

3. Characteristics

According

to

Oxford Advanced Learner's

Dictionary

(2000: 208), a

characteristic is a "typical feature that something/somebody has", while Longman

Dictionary

of

contemporary English (2001: 292)

defines

characteristic as "a

quality

or

feature

of

something

or

someone that is typical

of

them and easy to

recognize".

3. Conflict

Robert Stanton (1965: 16) mentions that one of the elements of the plot in

the story

is

conflict.

A

conflict

is defined

by

Perrine

(1974:44)

as ,,a clash

of

actions, ideas, desires, or

wills".

This conflict is the core of the story's structure,

the generating center out of which the plot grows.

CHAPTER

II

THEORETICAL REVIEW

Chapter

II

discusses the theories that are related to the study. The writer

tries

to

give clear explanation by reviewing some theories which are relevant to

the subject of this study. Based on the topic of this study, the writer divides this

chapter into three parts, namely Review

of

Related Studies, Review

of

Related

Theories and Theoretical Framework.

A.

Review of Related Studies

Not many research on this play are displayed in the library. However, we

can obtain some reviews on this play or its playwright in the intemet.

From an internet source, (http ://www. im agi-nati on.com/moo"n slruc.l{c lsc

3l.html,

accessed

on

January

26,

2009),

we

learn

that

the

most recognized

element of Mamet's style is his sparse, clipped dialogues. Mamet's dialogue is so

unique

that

it

has

become

known

as

"Mametspeak".

His

language

is

not

"naturalisticoo as

it

is a

poetic impression

of

streetwise jargon. Other signature elements of Mamet's style include minimalism and lack of stage direction. Noted

for his

strong male characterso Mamet's plays often deal

with

the

decline

of

morality in a world which has become an emotional and spiritual wasteland.

Most

of

his works are often controversial because Mamet makes realistic

dialogues but lacks actions. This can be his strength but can also be his weakness.

Lacking actions, his drama is monotonous and not interesting

for

some people.

However, the realistic dialogues

in

his works also make some people

find

his

Similarly,

Harold Pinter

(htto://www.theatre.havard.edr/archive/2001-falUoleanna/mamet.html&usg, accessed

on

December

27,

2008),

an

English dramatist, says that Mamet's works lack actions but are

full of

dialogues which

are very realistic. They are so because he always recorded some dialogues on the

tape to write in his works.

On the

interview

with

Matthew Roudane

(Barnet,

Burto,

Ferris and

Rabkin, 2A0I: 1273) about the role of language in his plays, Mamet explains that

its poetic language is not attempt to capture language as much as

it

is an attempt

to create language. The language in his plays is not only realistic but also poetic.

The words sometimes have

a

musical quality

to

them.

It

is

language

which

is

tailor-made for the stage. People do not always talk the way his characters do in

real life, although they may use some of the same words. His plays do not mirror

what is going on in the street.

It

is something different. As Oscar Wilde said,

"Life

imitates art. We did not have those big pea-soup fogs

until

somebody descibed

them" (Bamet et al.,ZAA1:n73).

The role of the language in Mamet's plays is not only realistic but also

poetic. His plays are considered as a realism because according to Baldick (1990)

realism means

a

mode

of

writing that give the

impression

of

recording or

'reflecting'

faithfully

an actual way

of life.

It

is also stated that modem criticism

views realism not as a direct or simple reproduction of reality (a slice of life) but a

system of conventions, producing a lifelike illusion of some real world outside the

text, by processes

of

selectiono exclusion, description and manners

of

addressing

the reader.

Mamet

is

not primarily

thought

of

as

a political

playwright,

but he

is

surely influenced

by

politics. Once on an opening

of

his play, Mamet gave an

interview in which he did not hesitate to declare that capitalism was "obviously an

idea whose

time

has come and gone'. Further,

he

said

that

"Americans are

fundamentally dishonest about our aspiration

to

get something

for

nothing, and

that's why we're enslaved by the idea

of

"happy capitalist" instead

of

observing

that the operative maxim

is

"Hurrah

for

me and fuck you." Familiar American

pieties are always

linked

to

criminality. That

why they're

American pieties."

(Bamet, Burto, Ferris and Rabkin, 2001: 1252).

This

paper

tries

to

reveal

the

hopelessness

of

employees,

victims

of

American capitalism,

in

facing

their

employers, as depicted

in

Glengerry Glen

Ross. How they are very frustrated by their unfair treatment and why they cannot

solve this problem. Their bosses plan

to kick

out the useless employees.

ln

the

analysis, the present writer does not relate the background

of

Mamet's

life

with

the

work

the present

writer

anallzes, but

will

show

the

characterization

of

the

characters that leads them to conflicts. The characters and the conflicts cannot be

separated because they are related to each other.

B.

Review on Related Theories

1.

Theory of Character

The most important thing in creating the work is the character because the

work

will

have no value without characters involved in the story

"A

character is

t0

pattem

of

events"(Rohrberger and Woods, 1981:20).

ln

Writing with a Purposeo

Joseph M. Trimmer gives the explanation that

A

literary

work

usually focuses

on

a

single character.

In

poem, this character is often the speaker, who reveals thoughts or describes events. In fiction or drama, this character, the protagonist is often opposed by other characterso

the

antagonist

need

not be

a

person:

it

might

be

the

environment, society,

or

some aspect

of

the

protagonist's personality (1992:335).

Bamet, Berman and Burto (1988: 71) state that the term characler has two

meaning, the

first

meaning

of

character

is

a figure

in

a

literary

work,

such as

Hamlet, or Holden Caulfield, and the second is personality, that is, the mental and

moral qualities

of

a figure,

just

like when we say that

X's

character is shong or

weak,

or

immoral

or

whatever. Thus,

in writing

about

a

character

(a

figure, whether Hamlet or Holden), we write about the character's character, namely his

or her personality, traits, characteristics.

A

character

is

a

person presented

in

a

novel, play,

or

prose (Yelland, 1950: 29).

It

means that a novel, play, and prose must have at least one character

to revive the story because a character is the most important thing of the story.

The characters can be divided into two categories based on the importance,

main or major character, and minor character. A major character usually appears

in a whole of the story. This character becomes the focus in the whole of the story.

The

events

that

appear

in

the

story always

involve

him or

her directly

and

indirectly.

A mirnr

character is often said as supporting character because "their

roles

are

less important

than the main

character because

they

are

not fully

developed characters and their roles in a story are just to support the development

of

the major

character"

(Abrams,

1981:20).

Apart from that,

we

cannot

underestimate the role the minor character because it is also important to make the

story more alive.

An

author,

in writing

the literary work, may present his characters other

directly or indirectly. Holman and Harmon write:

In

direct presentation he tells us straight out,

by

exposition

or

analysis,

what a character is like, or has someone else n the story

tell

us what he is

like. In

indirect presentation the author shows us the character

in

action, we infer what he is like from what he thinks or says or does (1986:68).

Characters basically

are also divided

into two

types

on the

internal

complexity, namely

"flat"

and "round'o characters. Abrams, quoting Foster in his

Aspect of the Novel, says that

A

flat character is built around "a single idea or quality" and is presented

without much individualizing detail, and therefore can be fairly adequately described

in a

single phrase

or

sentence,

on the

other hand,

a

round character

is

complex

in

temperament and motivation and

is

represented

with

subtle particularity; thus

he

is

as

difficult

to

desoibe

with

any adequacy as a person

in

real

life,

and like most people, he is capable

of

surprising us (198 I :20).

Furthermore,

William

Kenney, also quoting from Foster in Aspect of the Novel,

states:

A

flat character is less the representation

of

a human personality than the embodiment

of

a single attitude or obsession in a character (the character

is flat

because we

only

see one side

of

him)

while

a round character is obviously more

lifelike

than

the

simple, because

in life

people are not simply embodiments of single attitudes (the character is round because we

see all side of him) (1964:28).

The character is flat

if

the character does not show the development and seems so

straight and no changes. This character is always stable from the beginning until

the end of the story. Besides that, the flat character does not have a complete set

t2

characters tend to be flat characters and minor characters must necessarily remain

flat

(Perrine,

1974:70)). Besides,

a

flat

character

only

shows

a

little

bit

characteristics of herself or himself.

A

round character is a character which changes through the events in the

story.

It

seems that this character is complex.

It

is true that a round character is not

just

_{a simple character. We can} find the complete characterization

of

him or her

and

it

looks so convincing. *The

flat

character

is

characterized

by

one

or

two traits; he can be summed up in a sentence and the round sentence is complex and

many sided, he might require an essay for

full

analysis" (Perrine, 1974:69).

A

character may or may not develop as explained by Stanton (1965: 17): ooMost _{stories contain a central character, who}

is

relevant

to

every event

in

the

story; usually the events cause some change either in him or in our attitude toward

him."

Based on the development or change

of

the character, a character may be

either static

or

dynamic. Holman and Harmon

in

their

book .4 Handbook to

Literature say that character can be divided into two: static and dynamic.

A

static

character is one who changes little

if

at all.

Things happen

to

such a character without things happening within. The pattem

of

action reveals the character rather than showing the character

changing

in

response

to

the action. Sometimes the static character gives

the appearance of changing simply because our picture of the character is revealed bit by bit. (Holman and Harmon, 1986: 83)

A

static character is only shown passively. He or she does not give a response

toward the action that exists

in

the story. Things that happen do

not

influence

them so much and he shows no changes

of

such as personalify and character. He

or she looks so flat from the beginning until the end of the story.

On the other hand, a dynamic character

is

"one who is modified

by

actions

experiences, and one objective of the

work in

which the character appears is to

reveal the consequences

of

these actions" (Holman and Harmon,1986: 83). The

dynamic character is a character who has a permanent change

in

some aspect

of

his or her character, personality, and outlook. He or she is an active character and

gives

the

response

to

the

action

which

appears

in

the

story.

Penine

in

his

Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense describes a static character and a dynamic

character as follows:

a)

A

static character is the same of sort of the person at the end of the story as

he was at the beginning(1974:71)

b)

A

dynamic character is developing character who undergoes a permanent

change

in

some aspect

of

his

character, personality,

or

outlook. The

change may a large or a small one; it may be for better or for worse: but

it

is something important and basic;

it

is more than a change in condition or

a minor change in opinion

Q97a:7\.

J.M. Trimmer also explains the changes of the character

in

Writing with a

Purpose. According

to him,

"central characters who change

in

some significant

way

as

a

result

of

the

conflicts

they

must resolve are often called dynamic. Characters

who

remain unchanged

by

experiences

they

encounter

are

called

staticoo (1992:335). To make the changes more convincing, the change must meet three conditions. Firstly,

it

must be within the possibilities

of

the character who

makes

it.

The

second

thing is

that

it

must

be

sufficiently motivated

by

the

l4

allowed sufficient

time

for

a

change

of

its

magnitude believably

to

take place

(Perrine, 1974:71).

Characterization

is

the

description

of

the

characteristics. The

characterization is the act, process, or result ofcharacterizing.

In fiction

(the drama, the novel, the short story, and the narrative poem), the author reveal the characters of imagery person and the creation of these imagery persons so

that they exist

for

the

reader

as

lifelike is

called charactefization (Holman and Harmon, 1 9 86 : 8 I ).

Through characteization, the author describes the character clearer to the

reader so the reader can imagine the character without any confusing anymore.

The reader can

be directly

involved

in

the

story. "Characters have particular

personalities and physical attributes that distinguish them

for

other characters"

(Rohrberger and Woods, I97 1: 20).

Similarly, charactefization can be understood as the process by which an

author creates a character. Joseph H. Trimmer writes,

The method by which in author creates, reveals, and develops changes is

called

characteruation.

An

author

may

describe characters directly.

Telling the reader what people look like, how they behave and what they

think,

or

an

author

may

reveal characters

indirectly,

suggesting their

appearance, personality, and values through their words and deeds of other (1992:335).

It

seems that basically the author characterizes the characters

in

the

two

ways

directly and indirectly. There are two principal ways an author can characterize

the characters:

1.

Direct

It

means that the author directly tells the reader about the characteristics

of

the character (face, physique, gesture, and clothing). The author describes the

character's appearance and personality within a sentence so that the reader can get

the description ofthe character certainty.

Direct means

to

describe physical appearance. He can say,

for

example, that Sally is 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 110 pounds, and has blond hair and blues eye.

Or

he

can describe

her

intellectual and moral attributes or explain the degree or her sensitivity. He can say that she is a bright

girl

who respects her parents and feels their disapproval strongly. (Rohrberger

and Woods,

l97I:20)

2.

Dramatic

"Dramatic means that the author places the character in situation to show

what she

is

by the way she behaves

or

speaks" (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971:

20). The readers conclude the character's characteristic from her speaking, her act,

and her behavior. The character is shown speaking and acting.

Describing a person in the story must be very careful. These points must

be taken as the consideration (Barnet, Berman and Burto, 1988: 712):

l.

What the character says (though what he or she says need not be taken at face

value, the character may be hypocritical, or self-deceived, or biased),

2.

What the character does,

3.

What other characters say about the character, and

4.

What other characters do (their actions may help to indicate what the character

could do but does not do).

In a literary work,

it

is impossible to separate characters, characterization,

and characteristic. They all have a common unit of meaning, originating from the

word character. Basically, their relationship must be discovered to have a good

t6

Care must

be

taken

because

the word

character has

two

possible meanings. Firstly, the character

is a

person who appears

in

a

work, while

the

second meaning is that the character is the explanation of what the character looks

like

and

their

behavior. When

looking

at

the

second

definition

of

character, indirectly

it will

lead to the explanation of characteristic.

It

seems that they have

similar

meanings.

The

characteristic

of

the

character

is

the

result of

characterization.

The

characteristic

is

'othe forming

part

of

the

character

of

a

person

or thing"

(Hornby, 1989: 188).

It

consists

of

the

trait

of

the character. Another source states

that "that

which

constitutes

the

character,

that

which

characterizes;

a

distinguished

trait, or

quality;

a

peculiarity"

(Webster's New

Universal Unabridged Dietionary, I 983 : 304).

To make the character more convincing, there should be characterization.

The writer has

to

make good charccte{tzation so the readers can understand the

characteristic of character, Characterization is the way how the author reveals the

character.

2. Theory on Conflicts

According to Perrine's Literature; Structure, Sound and Sense, a conflict

is "a clash of actions, ideas, desireso or

wills"

(1976:44) . The main character may

be pitted against some other person

or

group

of

persons (man against man); he

may be

in

conflict

with

some external force-physical nature, society,

or

"fate"

(man against environment); or he may be in conflict with some element in his own

nature (man against himself). The conflict may be physical, mental, emotional or

moral (1974:44).

Perrine (1974: 48-49) also states that a story may have an indeterminate

ending, one in which no definitive conclusion is arrived at.

A

conclusion of some

kind there must of course be.

A

story,

if it

is to be an artistic unit, cannot simply

stop. But the conclusion need not be in the terms of a resolve conflict. The story is

more effective without a resolution, for an individual conflict merely symphonizes

a larger social conflict that has no easy resolution.

Stanton (1965: 16) mentions that one

of

the elements

of

the

plot

in

the

story is conflict.

A

central conflict is always between fundamental and contrasting

qualities

or

forces, such as honesty and hypocrisy, innocence and experience,

individuality and pressure to conform. This conflict is the core of the structure of a

story, the generating center out

of

which the

plot

grows.

A

story may contains more than one

conflict

of

forces, but only the central conflict

of

a

story

fully

accounts for the events

ofthe

plot.

According

to

Baldick (1991:

107-8),

a

conflict

implies

not only

the struggle of a protagonist against someone else or something but also the existence

of

some motivation for the conflict or some goal to be achieved thereby. Here a

conflict is the raw material out of which plot is constructed.

Hunt (1995:31-2) says that a conflict does not always have forms in direct

oneso such as frontal war, fight, raid, riot or any kind of open hostilities.

A

conflict

does not always mean hate, hatred,

or

distrust.

A

conflict can also happen just

through the

limit

of differences of opinion, perspectives, judgments, and opposing

l8

matters based on its own perception or point of view, which is influenced by any

aspects of its culture, values, religion,

beliel

and moral standards.

Robert and Jacobs (1987:88) define a conflict as the opposition between

two

characters.

It

may dlso exist between larger groups

of

people, although in

fiction

conflicts between individuals are more identifiable and therefore more

interesting.

A

conflict

may also exist between an individual and larger forces, such as natural objects, ideas, and modes of behavior, public opinion, and the like.

The

existence

of

difficult

choices

within an

individual's mind may

also be presented as conflict, or dilemma. In addition, the conflict may be presented not as

direct opposition, but rather as a set of comparative or contrastive ideas or values.

In addition, Rohrberger and Woods state that a conflict is the struggle that occurs

between

the

protagonist

and

antagonist,

fate

or

environment,

or

within

the

protagonist or with the conflicting value system (1971: 180).

C. Theoretical Framework

This study is focused

to

reveal the questions

in

problem formulations by

analyzing

the

characters.

The

theory

of

character

is

helpful

to

explain what character is. Readers recognize a certain character's personality based

on

his or

her manners, ideas and speech. Throughout the play, readers seem to be invited to

feel what kind

of

situation and condition experienced by a certain character. The

present researcher needed

to

obtain the idea

of

characterization

to

discover the

characters' characteristics

by

analyzing

what they

do,

feel

or

say.

A

certain purpose

or

goal throughout his or her appearance can be detected.

It

is possible

that each character has their own intentions that show their differences from one

another.

In

order

to identiS

the conflicts among the characters, the present writer

uses the theory

of

conflict. Conflicts can happen among individual characters or

between a group

of

characters and an institution, such as a company, as what is

observed in this play.

After

discovering the characters' characteristics and the conflicts among

CHAPTER

III

METHODOLOGY

In

this

chapter,

the

present

writer

presents

the

methodology

of

this

research.

He

describes

the

approach that he uses

to

conduct

a

good analysis.

Besides that, he also describes the research steps so that the readers understand the

way the writer answers the problems.

A. Object of the Study

The thesis analyzes one

of

Mamet's works, which

is

entitled Glengarry

GIen Ross, a play which has received four awards: Laurence

Olivier

Award for

Best New Play

in

1983, Pulitzer Prize

for

drama

in

1984, Drama Desk Award Outstanding Revival of a Play in 2005 and Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play

in 2005.

Glengarry

Glen

Ross

is

a modem American drama written

in

1977 that premiered in London

in

1983 then was followed in Chicago. The story is based on

Mamet's

job

in

1969 as

an office

manager

at

a

real estate sales

oflice.

The position is the inspiration for Williamson's

job,

and the other salesmen observed

in the office would later serve as the basic for the play's other characters.

The play shows parts of two days, first in a China Restaurant, and second

in a real estate sales offtce. The play tells the lives of four desperate Chicago real

estate salesmen: Richard

"Rick/'

Roma,

the

most successful salesman

in

the offrceo Shelley "The Machine'o Levene, an older salesman that needs money to

treat his sick daughter, George Aaronow, an aging salesman who lacks confidence

20

and hope, and Dave Moss, a

big

mouthed salesman. They

work for Mitch

and

Murray, the owner of the real estate agency. They set up a sales contest that makes

salesmen

felt

under pressure

to

produce or

to

lose their

job.

Unfortunately, the

offtce manager John Williamson treats four salesmen unfairly. Roma always gets

promising sales leads but the others only get hopeless sales leads. As a result, until

the end of the month, Levene, Moss and Aaronow

still

have difficulties to find a

prospective buyer. The three salesmen hate the pressuring management. They plan

to strike back at Mitch and Murray by stealing all the Glengarry leads and selling

them to another real estate agency. Finally the plan is implemented, but only one

of

the three salesmen does

it.

Unfortunately, Williamson finds out the case and

knows that Levene has stolen the leads because only the real thief could know the

real contract and the check on Williamson's desk.

This study is basically a library research. Many books, internet sources and

references have been read to support the analysis for answering the problems

of

this thesis. The thesis studies the events in the story and anything that happens to

characters.

B. Approach of the Study

Looking at the

problems

of this

study and

the

work

under study, the

formalistic is the best approach in conducting the study. According to Rohrberger

and

Woods,

the

formalistic

approach examines

"the literary

piece

without

references

to

the genre

or

in

literary history, and without reference

to its

social

milieu" (1971:7).

The formalistic approach invites us

to

analyze the story by

22

intemal organization

of

the

work.

The definition above

is

supported

by

Guerin

(1979).It

is a term used to describe that type of literary criticism which has as its

major concem

the form

of

a work

of

art, ranging

from its

typography

to

the

structure its idea builds. The interplay of these variations of form results in a total

effect that forms or shapes inwardly the works and gives its parts a relevance to

the whole and vice versa (Guerin,1979:32A).

This

thesis analyzes

the play

and

it

only

concentrates

on

the

work.

Therefore,

the

formalistic approach

is

appropriate

to

analyze

the

study. The present

writer

is

really

sure

that

the

formalistic approach

could

support the analysis because

it

only

examines the literary pieces

or the

intrinsic elements, without adoring the extrinsic elements of the stories, such as the biography of the

writer, the history

of

the play, and the social background. It

just

focuses on the

conflicts, the characters' characteristics and their contribution to the conflicts.

C. Method of the Study

There were some steps that were taken

in

order

to

analyze the literary

work. The

first

step was to read the work to understand the work soundly. This

step was very important

in

making the thesis better. The second was identifring

the characters' characteristics using the methods

of

the

charccterization

of

the

characters. The next step was to disclose the conflicts of the works by uncovering

the stories. Finally, the last step was

to

show the contribution

of

the characters'

characteristics to the conflicts in the play.

To make the analysis better, it was important to read some books and some

references about them. The

writer

got

information

from the

books about the

theories required

for

this

study.

The best

description

of

characters and

characterization used in this analysis was the theories of M.H. Abrams in his book

A

Glossary of Literary Terms, supported by Holman and Harmon's theories in r4

Handbook

to

Literature, and Rohrberger and Woods' theories

in

Reading and

CHAPTER

IV

AI\ALYSIS

This chapter is divided into three sub-chapters

in

line

with

the problems

presented in Chapter I. The first sub-chapter deals with the characteristics of each

main character

in

the play. The second deals

with

the conflicts among the main

characters,

while the

last one

deals

with

the

conhibution

of

the

characters'

characteristics to the development of the conflicts in the play.

A. The Characteristics of the

Main

Characters

in

Glengarry Glen Ross

Characters are always found in a story and involved in certain actions and

conflicts.

This play has

five

main characterso namely John Williamson, Ricky

Romao Shelley Levene, George Aaronow and Dave

Moss.

By

profession

all

of

them are salesmen

who work

for

a

real estate company belonging

Mitch

and

Murray. There are also other characters,

like

James

Lingk

as

a

customer and

Baylen, a police officer. However, being minor characters, they are not the object

of this study.

Below are the characteristics

of

each of them based on what

is

shown in

the play. The order of the analysis is based on the order of the appearance in the

play.

1. Ricky Roma, a Salesman

He is a man of 40 years old. He is considered a good, fine man by Levene,

as shown in the following.

LEVEIYE. John...John...John. Okay John . Look _Qtause) the Glenggary

Highland's leadso you're sending Roma out. Fine. Heos a good man. We know what he is. He's fine.

24

(2001:1254)

He is a lucky man, which makes his rivals in the office jealous because he

always gets prospects to

sell.

His offrce manager, Williamson always has trust on

him to sell prospective leads but his rivals in the office consider him a dishonest

and an immoral person. He is the youngest in that office and has been the ace

card for the company. His money earning is always higher than the others because

he always got customers that want to sell his leads. He is a new salesman in that

office and he does not get good welcome from his rivals because he has changed

the

life of

his rivals who does not get prospective leads after his

income.

The

clothes that he wears are more expensive than the others' because

of

his good

money eaming.

As

a young employee, he has

a

good future

to

survive

in

that

office

because

his

position

will

be

secure

from

any

refreshing employment

proglam.

Another

aspect

of

his

characteristics

is

revealed

in

the

following

quotation.

ROMA.

All

train compartment smells vaguely of shit.

It

gets so you don't

mind it. That's that the worst thing that

I

can confess. You know how long

it

took me to get there?

A

long time. When you die you're going to regret the things you don't do. You think you're queer...

I'm

going to

tell

you something we're queer. You think that you're a thief? So what? You get

befuddled

by

a middle-class moralrty....? Get shut

of it.

Shut

t

out. You cheated on your

wife...?

You did it. Live

with

it. (trtause) so be in. there's an absolute morality? May be. And then what?

If

you think there is, then

be that that thing. Bad people go to hell. I don't think so.

If

you think that,

act

that way. A hell exist on earth? Yes. I

won't

live on it. That's me. You

ever take a dump made you feel you'd just slept for twelve hours.

(2001:1260)

ROMA.

or

a

piss...?

a great meal fades

in

reflection. Everything

.l

26

(2001:1260)

By

reading that dialogue we can know that he is very immoral but he is

very

successful

in

controlling

the

customers.

He

is

different

from the

other salesmen:

he can

speak

very

confidently,

fluently

and beautifully, before he

promotes the leads.

He

always entertains

his

consumers

with

interesting topics

that make them happy. [n addition, he can show that he is an upper class person,

not different from his customers.

ln

fact, he is the richer salesman than others in

his office; because he always achieves a good result after having some negotiation

with

the customers. He can hypnotize his victims by the

ability

of

his speech.

When, the robbery case happened in his offrce.

Not

like the others salesmen that

are suspects of that crime, the Roma's position

still

safe because he has no reason

to

steal. He has ability

to

share his opinion. He believes his opinion is the best.

And he always defends his own opinion. He does not care for other's opinion and

advice.

ROMA.

James.

I'm

glad

to

meet you. (They shake hands.)

I'm

glad to meet you. James. (pause)

I

want to show you something. (Pause)

it

mean

nothing

to

you...and

it

might not.

I

don't

know.

I

don't

know anymore. (Pause. He takes out

a

small map and spreads

it

on the table.) What is

that? Florida.

Glengarry Highlands,

Florida. "Florida.

Bullshit."

And

maybe that's true and that's what

I

said: but look here. What is this? This is a piece of land. Listen to what

I'm

going to tell you now.

(2001:1261)

On the negative side, he is a dishonest person and a hypocrite. He said that

he

is

glad

to

meet James,

a

customer,

but

it

is

just

because

of

his

money orientation. He knows that James is a rich person so he supposes that he can sell

his

leads

to him a

good

price.

He

said that Glengarry Highlands,

Florida

is bullshit, as shown

in

the above quotation. However,

it

is only his

trick to

make

In the present writer's analysis, he has a good instinct to know how people

feel. He knows that by judging the expression in their face and behavior. And he

has the ability

to

persuade a customer who wants

to

cancel the leads

to

buy the

leads.

His

speaking ability makes him able

to

counter back the argument

of

his

customers by giving them a logical reason that makes the customers think twice in

deciding

to

cancel

the

leads.

His

customers would trust

him

again because he

could

convince

them

that the

decision

to

cancel

the

negotiation

is

wrong.

Howevero the speaking skills and talents.

It

is his personality which can influence

the

people. Therefore,

the

present

writer

concludes

that

Ricky

Roma

is

a

charismatic man. He can influence people by his speech and his behavior.

2. Shelley Levene, a Salesman

The writer finds discussing Shelley Levene particularly interesting because

the stealing case that happens in the story involves him. The story becomes alive

because

of

his appearance. Levene is neither thoroughly a good man nor a bad

man but a mixture

of

that.

He is 50 years old. He is the oldest salesman

in

his

office.

In

the past, he was

a

successful salesman. However, now he has often

failed to close a big deal for a long time. He tries to win the offrce manager's trust.

Unfortunately, he is not successful because for a long time he has failed to make

good sales. The

following

quotation shows how he fails. He realizes his failure

and is quite unhappy

with

the missed opportunity. However, he desperately tries

to convince his boss about his prospect in a long and tiring argument.

LEVSNE.

I

can't close these lead, John.

No

one can.

It's

a joke. John.

Look, just give me a hot lead. Just give me two of the premium leads. As

a "test,"alright? As a "test" and I promise you...

29

LEVENE.

I

will

give you ten percent. _Qnuse)

WILLIAMSON.

Of what?

LEYENE.

Of my ends what I close.

WILLIAMSON.

And what if you don't close.

LEVENE.

I

will

close.

WILLIAMSON.

What if you don't close.

LEVENE.Iwill

close.

WILLIAMSON.

What

if

you don't? Then

I'm

fucked. You see...? Then

it's my job. That's what

I'm

telling you.

LEVEDIE. I

will

close. John, John. Ten percent.

I

can get hot. You know that....

(2001: 1256)

Levene

is

an optimistic man,

but

as seen

in

the above, he desperately

wants to save his career by begging Williamson for some promising leads though

unfortunately he is not successful. Actually, he is an optimistic man because he

feels that once he has been a successful salesman and he

will

remain so. However,

the good luck does not belong to him anymore, and the office manager does not

have trust on

him

anymore, as shown

in

the following dialogue. When he was

young, he rarely failed to sell the leads, but after growing old, the fortune does not

belong

to

him.

His

position is not secure because his position

is

below Roma's

and Moss' position. So he begs some two premium leads to Williamson. He does

not want to be fired just because he is in the third position. And he must keep the

job because he must earn money for his family.

It

is shown that in his old age and

in his bad luck he is still optimistic that he can be successful.

LEVENE.

John Qtause). Listen. I want to talk to you. Permit me to do this a second.

I'm

older than you.

A

man acquires a reputation. On the street.

What he does when he's

up,

what he does otherwise...I said

"ten,"

you

said o'no" you said twenty.

"

I

said fine,"

I'm

going to fuck with you, how can

I

beat that, you tell me?... Okay. Okay. We'11...

Okay.

Fine. We'11...

Alright,

twenty percent, and

fifty

bucks a lead. That's fine.

A

month or

two

we'll

talk.

A

month

from

now.

Next

Month.

After

the

thirtieth.

Qtause)

We'll

talk.

(2001: 1256)

LEYENE.

I

'm

asking

to

you.

As a

favor

to

_{me? Qtause). Jottn.}

(ong

pause). John, my daughter....

WILLIAMSON.I

can't do

it

Shelley.

(2001:

l2s6)

He is a responsible father. As a father, he loves his daughter. He considers

that his failure to sell the leads is because

of

the qualrty

of

the leads that makes

them very

difficult

to sell. He thinks that he is underestimated because of his old

age and finds himself

in

danger

of

getting fired.

Now

he

is in

a bad situation

because he has to deal with complicated problems. First of all, he needs money to get proper medical care for his sick daughter. Second, he earns the money by the

commission

of

the selling, so he

is

not secure because he does not know from

month to month what his income

will

be. Third, he never gets good leads that are

easy to sell. On the other hand, he is a responsible father, so he

will

do anyhing

for his sick daughter.

LEVEFIE. Bullshit. John, Bullshit. April, September 1981.It's

me.ltisn,t

fucking Moss. Due respecto he's an order taker, john, _{he talks, he talks a}

good game, look at the board. And it's me, John, it's me. . .

QA0t:

t254)

He cannot forget his past when he was a hero in his office. He always says

that to his manager to win trust from his manager.

It

also shows that now he has

lost his own self-confidence and tries to get it back by boasting off his past. When

he was young, he had

a

lucky destiny because,

like

Ricky Rom4 the youngest

salesman in that office, he got prospective leads and did not have any difficulty to

sell them.

LEVENE

...And

now Iom saying this. Do

I

want charity? Do

I

want

3l

a lead hotter than that.

I'll

go in and close it. Give me a chance that's all

I

want.

I'm

going to get up on that fucking board and all I want is a chance.

It's o

streak and

I'm

going

to turn

it

around. Qtause)

I

need your help.

Qtause)

(2001:1256)

Actually, Levene is a hard worker, and he does not want charity or pity.

He

just

wants a change

to

make

him

find his past glory. And hence, he

will

be able

to

fix

his family

life,

especially to get proper medical treatment for his sick

daughter.

He feels that now he does not have a chance

to

sell a good lead like

when he was young.

LEVENE. Well,

I

want to

tell

you something,

fell4

wasn't long

I

could pick up the phone, call Murray and

I'd

have your job. You know that? Not

too long ago. For what? For nothing. o'Mur, this new

kid

burns my ass."

Shelley, he's out.

"

You're gone before

I'm

back to lunch.

I

bought him a

trip to Bermuda once. . .

(2001:1256)

As the oldest in his office, he shows his superiority by claiming that he has

close relationship

with

his boss, Murray.

[n

the past, he made his bosses happy

with his success and the profit that he made. Unfortunately, now he is regarded by

his boss as a parasite that must be annihilated from their

office.

He wants to show

his merits to the manager that he had given to his company when he was young.

ROMA.

That was a great sale, Shelly. _Qtause)

LEVEFIE. Ah. Fuck. Leads! Leads! Williamson! (Williamson sticks his

head out of the

ffice.)

send me

out!

Send me out!

(2001: 1265)

When, he manages

to

sell the leads, he

will

be arrogant, especially when

his friends praise him, which makes him even haughtier.

It

is

to

show that as a

salesman he

is

not over yet and that he

still

exists

to

challenge other younger

salesmen.

3. George Aaronow, a Salesman

To describe George Aaronow's characteristics, let us observe the dialogue

between Moss, another salesman, and Aaronow.

MOSS.

All

of 'em. They hold on to their money....

AARONOW.

Where am I goingto work?

MOSS. you have to cheer up. George, you aren't out yet.

AARONOW.I'm

not?

(2001:1257)

AARONOW.

...That's right...

MOSS. Eh?

AARONOW. No. That's absolutely right. MOSS. And so they

kill

the goose....and, and a

his life has got

to...

fuckin'

man, worked all

(2001:1258)

From

the

above,

it

can

be

concluded

that he

lacks

the

sense

of

self-confidence. Actually, he wants to resign from his job because he thinks that he is

not competent to be a salesman. Unfortunately, he is too old

to

get another job.

Among the salesmen, he is the biggest loser. He is flustrated by his own inability

to close sales recently. The reason of his failure is because, as a salesman, he is

too honest and also he cannot communicate and associate easily with anyone else.

He is also easily overpowered by faster talkers, like Moss. He feels hopeless and

helpless. He is very worried that in the next month he

will

be fired. As an honest

man, he thinks that his

job

is not suitable for him, because as a salesman he must

be dishonest

in

order to make sales. He must say that a lead is good, although in

fact it is not.

MOSS.

I

know

it's

not.

I'll

tell

you, you got, you know, you got . . what

did

I

learn

as a

kid

on Western?

Don't

sell a guy one car? Sell

him/ve

cars over fifteen years. AARONOW. That's right.

MOSS.Eh...?

33

MOSS. Goddam

right,

that's

right.

Guys come

on: "Oh,

the blah blah blah.