Nearing the end of his analysis Worster writes that “This professional definition of a real man as a persistent closer becomes easily and consistently fused with the sexual definition of a real man as an accomplished sexual aggressor.” (382) This concept of sexual aggression becomes quite clear when Levene tells Williamson that he, “can 't run an office” because he doesn’t “have the balls.” (2.1) There is an inherent dual meaning in what Levene is saying. There’s first the colloquial understanding that Williamson is not strong enough to run a business because his anatomy doesn’t prove him to be a man. A statement like this, in the world of Glengarry Glen Ross, is crippling to a someone who’s trying to be perceived as a strong male presence.
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Mamet uses the character of Lingk to reveal what would happen to a man whose wife has stripped his manhood. In talking with Roma, Lingk says, “My wife said I have to cancel the deal.” (2.1) The movie does a wonderful job of capturing just how weak and fidgety Lingk is at this moment. He is both terrified of disappointing his fellow man and defying the commands of his wife. His wife has, in effect, seized Lingk’s masculinity. She is dominating Lingk to the point that he has to subject himself to the feeble act of asking Roma to change the deal they had made. Mamet 's dichotomy between Lingk and his wife reveals, again, the malleability of masculinity. This idea of manhood is in constant flux — so much so that even a woman can claim the role of “ruling patriarch.” What this does is bring into question who really knows what masculinity is. Here are five men fighting to be the “best man” and one of the most powerful characters is a woman without a name in the play. Power is undefined in this production and the uncertainty surrounding who has it really adds to the emotional tension amongst the …show more content…
Brick is the embodiment of what happens to a homosexual man in a world predicated on heterosexual masculinity. When the play first opens, Maggie references Brick as, “Boy of mine.” In Maggie 's eyes, Brick is a boy and has not yet reached the status of being a man. This correlates to Brick’s inability to sleep with Maggie and get her pregnant. It is then later revealed in the play that Brick had a very close relationship with his male friend Skipper. This unveils Brick’s homosexual tendencies and gives him a basis for his distance from Maggie. The dynamic Williams presents is one driven by alcoholism. Brick convinces himself that the only way to distance himself from the pressures of society and suppress his own impetus towards men is by drinking — drinking until he hears the “click.” With people like Big Daddy trying to shove their masculine identity down Brick’s throat, the only solace he can find is in the liquor cabinet. Brick is well-aware of this dilemma but sees it as his only way out and the reason he and Skipper couldn’t survive together. In his conversation with Big Daddy, Brick asks, “How does one drowning man help another drowning man?” (2.1) Brick is referencing himself and Skipper and used the term “drowning man.” Brick and Skipper are effectively drowning under the pressures of a masculine ideal. They are both equally trying to make sense of their
Mamet uses the character of Lingk to reveal what would happen to a man whose wife has stripped his manhood. In talking with Roma, Lingk says, “My wife said I have to cancel the deal.” (2.1) The movie does a wonderful job of capturing just how weak and fidgety Lingk is at this moment. He is both terrified of disappointing his fellow man and defying the commands of his wife. His wife has, in effect, seized Lingk’s masculinity. She is dominating Lingk to the point that he has to subject himself to the feeble act of asking Roma to change the deal they had made. Mamet 's dichotomy between Lingk and his wife reveals, again, the malleability of masculinity. This idea of manhood is in constant flux — so much so that even a woman can claim the role of “ruling patriarch.” What this does is bring into question who really knows what masculinity is. Here are five men fighting to be the “best man” and one of the most powerful characters is a woman without a name in the play. Power is undefined in this production and the uncertainty surrounding who has it really adds to the emotional tension amongst the …show more content…
Brick is the embodiment of what happens to a homosexual man in a world predicated on heterosexual masculinity. When the play first opens, Maggie references Brick as, “Boy of mine.” In Maggie 's eyes, Brick is a boy and has not yet reached the status of being a man. This correlates to Brick’s inability to sleep with Maggie and get her pregnant. It is then later revealed in the play that Brick had a very close relationship with his male friend Skipper. This unveils Brick’s homosexual tendencies and gives him a basis for his distance from Maggie. The dynamic Williams presents is one driven by alcoholism. Brick convinces himself that the only way to distance himself from the pressures of society and suppress his own impetus towards men is by drinking — drinking until he hears the “click.” With people like Big Daddy trying to shove their masculine identity down Brick’s throat, the only solace he can find is in the liquor cabinet. Brick is well-aware of this dilemma but sees it as his only way out and the reason he and Skipper couldn’t survive together. In his conversation with Big Daddy, Brick asks, “How does one drowning man help another drowning man?” (2.1) Brick is referencing himself and Skipper and used the term “drowning man.” Brick and Skipper are effectively drowning under the pressures of a masculine ideal. They are both equally trying to make sense of their