The Power of Language in David Mamets Oleanna

by Orsolya Halmi
2008
0
In the context of postmodernist thought, David Mamets Oleanna, an apparently
simple play !ith a simple conflict, emerges as a rather unsettling and thought"provo#ing
!or# that delights in its o!n plurality of interpretations$ %s a drama discussing such
issues as sexual harassment, po!er play and misunderstanding, Mamets !or# stri#es us
not only in its surprising turnovers but also in its use of language$ &he play!right
employs the typical language that !e have already encountered in his previous plays and
!hich has enriched the dramatic discourse !ith a ne! term' (Mametspea#$) (David
Mamet is credited !ith reinventing %merican theatrical language$ His terse, cryptic
dialogue is mar#ed by a staccato rhythm and tough, often profane language *+er#hoff
,-$)
.anguage for Mamet is not /ust a play of !ords, for him language serves as a
much more significant tool, a tool !hich helps drive the message home$ Mamets
language 0 strange as it appears 0 deviates from its natural role, it is no longer the means
for clear communication of ideas, but functions rather as an obstructive po!er in the !ay
of communication constructing itself upon misreading and misunderstanding$ (&he po!er
of the play!right1s characters stems from the !ay they reveal themselves through
language that conveys its meaning as much from !hat is being !ithheld as from the
!ords actually spo#en$ *+er#hoff ,-)
Oleanna is no exception$ In the play, the language becomes the #ey to grasping
the po!er shifts that occur in the intert!ining relationship bet!een 2ohn and 3arol$
Ho!ever, the lac# of consensus among critics in their interpretation of the play and
especially the lac# of /ustification for 3arols actions proves that (Mamet achieves a
!onderful irony in constructing a text !hich the audience must decode /ust as the
characters are re4uired to do so *5oggans 676-$) %ct One, &!o and &hree all present
different stages in the characters po!er relation$ 8hile the first act presents a typical
teacher"student relationship, the second and third acts ta#e a sudden turn and reverse the
pre"established hierarchy of the first act$ Ho! this unexpected shift occurs is encoded in
the characters fragmented, bro#en utterances$
&he first act opens !ith 2ohn tal#ing on the phone and 3arol !aiting for him to
finish the conversation$ &heir subse4uent dialogue reveals the characters plight' 2ohns
inability to recogni9e his responsibilities as a teacher, as !ell as 3arols incapability to
,
grasp 2ohns !ords$ &his is heightened by the fact that throughout the play the t!o
characters continually tal# beside one another and cut into each others sentences as if
they !erent really listening'
3arol' *Pause- 8hat is a (term of art):
2ohn' *Pause- Im sorry;:
3arol' *Pause- 8hat is a (term of art):
2ohn' Is that !hat you !ant to tal# about:
3arol' ;to tal# about;:
2ohn' .ets ta#e the mysticism out of it, shall !e: 3arol: *Pause- Dont you
thin#: Ill tell you' !hen you have some (thing$) 8hich must be broached$
*Pause- Dont you thing;: *Pause-
3arol' ;$dont I thin#;:
2ohn' Mmm:
3arol' ;did I;:
2ohn' ;!hat:
3arol' Did;did I;did I say something !r; *Mamet 2"7-
&his sort of conversation is not unusual in all three acts, and although 3arols
attitude undergoes a huge alteration in %ct &!o, the conversational pattern remains as
fragmented as before$ %t a closer loo#, the plays language may hint at the reasons behind
3arols sudden change of attitude and her allegations$
%ccording to the critic &homas H$ 5oggans, (3arol constantly traffics in the code
!ords of incest and child abuse, spea#ing and responding in !ays that are recogni9able to
anyone familiar !ith the representation of sexual abuse in todays culture *67<-$)
5oggans clearly explains the reasons behind this argument by allo!ing insight into the
frame of mind of the abused$
,
8hat the critic dra!s attention to is not only 3arols
behaviour but the language she uses, the exact !ords and phrases she employs in her
conversation !ith 2ohn$ %nd indeed her responses to 2ohns arguments are often
disturbing, unexpected and contradictory'
2ohn' =o one thin#s youre stupid$
3arol' =o: 8hat am I;:
2ohn' I;
3arol' 8hat am I then:
,
(3onsiderable evidence is mounting that some females !ho experience incest in childhood consider
themselves permanently in/ured >;? @re4uently these !omen report lo! self"esteem, sexual dysfunction,
depression, guilt, shame, feeling of isolation, and mistrust >;? *67<-$) 0 5oggans 4uotes psychologist
Dianne 3levelandA this is a depiction !hich seems to apply to 3arol as !ell, especially in %ct One, but also
hinted at later on in the play$
2
2ohn' I thin# youre angry$ Many people are$ I have a telephone call that I have
to ma#e$ %n appointment, !hich is rather pressingA though I sympathi9e !ith
your concerns, and though I !ish I had the time, this !as not a previously
scheduled meeting and I;
3arol' ;you thin# Im nothing;
2ohn' ;have and appointment !ith a realtor, and !ith my !ife and;
3arol' Bou thin# Im stupid$
2ohn' =o$ I certainly dont$
3arol' Bou said it$ >;?
2ohn' =o$ I never did, or never !ould say that to a student, and ; >;?
3arol' Cut then$ Cut then, !hat am I doing here;: >;? ;!hen nobody !ants
me, and; *Mamet ,2",7",6-
%s this excerpt also indicates, 3arol pro/ects a negative image of herself onto the
outside and her ans!ers create a pattern that may allude to a past of verbal abuse$
2
(&he
student"teacher relationship depicted in %ct One is a pastiche of phrases and clichDs
associated !ith the secrecy and psychological manipulation of incestuous abuse$ 3arols
Emisunderstanding lies in this coincidence) *5oggans 67F-$ %nother allusion to sexual
abuse may be read from the students near confession at the end of the first act !hich is
finally interrupted by a telephone call *5oggans 67G-$
7
In %ct &!o, nevertheless, the previously insecure student returns as a self"assured
and determined individual !ho 0 to our surprise 0 accuses 2ohn of sexual abuse$ &o prove
her allegations, she uses the most po!erful !eapon she has 0 language 0 in order to
revenge her (victimi9ation$)
%lthough this reading of the play may be acceptable, other interpretations allo!
for different perspectives on 3arols approach to the situation$ It has been suggested that
Oleanna is not so much about sexual harassment and political correctness as about po!er
and the defeat of the traditional patriarchal po!er structure, !hich (is al!ays oppressive)
*Horter ,<-$ @ollo!ing this reading of the play, !e get an indication of the immense role
that language plays in overthro!ing and reversing male hierarchy$
2
(&he litany of verbal abuse becomes internali9ed, and instead of hearing it from the outside, you record it
and store it, and end up saying the same self"hating things to yourself$ ;you get depressed and a voice
inside says, EBoull never amount to anything$ &hese voices; are regurgitated lies of the abusers
*5oggans 67<-$) &his is the pattern 3arol regresses into repeatedly throughout the play$
7
(3arol' Im bad$ *Hause- Oh, 5od >;? I al!ays;all my life;I have never told anyone this;
2ohn' Bes$ 5o on$ *Hause- 5o on$$
3arol' %ll my life; *The phone rings.) (Pause. 2ohn goes to the phone and picks it up.) *Mamet 78-$)
7
&he apparently innocent 3arol of %ct One manages to overthro! the po!er of
patriarchal abuse that 2ohn symboli9es to her by retracing his actual !ords and ta#ing
them out of their original context$ &hus language becomes a dangerous !eapon in the
hands of an aggressive and (radical feminist consciousness)
6
in the face of the ignorant
and unprofessional teacher$ &hrough this turn of situation Mamet emphasi9es the
destructive po!er of language, !hich can manipulate, subvert and eventually devastate$
&he play also examines the (difficulties of ac4uiring and controlling language,
especially in the speciali9ed environment of the academy *+er#hoff ,G-$) +er#hoff
examines the issue of status !ithin the academic environment and dra!s attention to
3arols linguistic deficiency, !hich puts her at a disadvantaged position'
Mamet !ants to highlight this subordination from the start, for the play opens
!ith 2ohn tal#ing on the phone in 3arol1s presence, a conversation physically
closed to the student$ .i#e!ise, through 3arol1s first !ords " I8hat is a 1term of
art1:I *Mamet ,JJ7b, 2- " !hich as#s 2ohn to explain a phrase he has /ust
employed, the student not only dra!s attention to the play1s focus on speciali9ed
discourse as a crux but she reveals her inability to participate fully and properly
in this language"centered culture$ *,J"20-
=ot only does the play!right dra! attention *several times- to the po!er
accompanied by the possession of critical discourse through the (linguistic gap) bet!een
the t!o characters, but he also appropriates 3arols sudden self"assurance and authority
from %ct &!o to her unexpected use of literaryKcritical language'
2ohn' 8ell, all right$ *Hause-$ .ets see *He reads$- I find that I am sexist >sic?$
&hat Im elitist >sic?$ Im not sure I know what that means, other than its a
derogatory word, meaning ad! >my emphasis?$ &hat I;&hat I insist on
!asting time, in nonprescribed, in self"aggrandi9ing and theatrical di"ersions
>sic? from the prescribed text;that these have ta#en both sexist and
pornographic forms >;? (&old a rambling, sexually explicit story, in !hich
the fre4uency and attitudes of fornication of the rich and poor are, it !ould
seem, the central point >;? all part of a pattern >;?$ *Mamet 6G-
% significant alteration has ta#en place$ Here, the po!er reversal is suggested not
only by 3arols usage of styli9ed language but also by 2ohns surprising statement' (Im
not sure I know what that means, other than its a derogatory word, meaning #ad. ) It
seems that 2ohn has ta#en 3arols place from the @irst %ct, !hile 3arol has gained the
6
&he idea of feminism is derived from 3arols reference to the 5roup in %ct &!o and the fact her feelings
are (predicated not on an EI, but on the thoughts and feelings of this collective *Horter 20-)
6
upper hand that 2ohn possessed in the same act$ Lubse4uently, 3arol continues to
bombard her opponent !ith elaborated !ords as if to sho! off her ne! position'
3arol' >;? Bes$ It is a $act;and that story, !hich I 4uote, is "ile and classist,
and manipulati"e and pornographic$ >;? Bou feel yourself empo!ered;you
say to yourself$ &o strut$ &o posture$ &o (perform$) &o (3all me in here;)
Mh: Bou say that higher education is a /o#e$ %nd treat it as such, you treat it as
such$ %nd con$ess to a taste to play the Patriarch in your class$ &o grant this$
&o deny that$ &o embrace your students$ >sic? *Mamet <,-
&o sum up, the language employed by both characters throughout the tree acts
points to the dislocation of po!er and foreshado!s the violent finale of the play$ (&he
fact that Mamet immediately establishes language as the currency of this environment,
and one participant is far poorer than the other, ma#es Oleanna primarily concerned !ith
the po!er that derives from one1s mastery of language *+er#hoff 20-$)
=evertheless, the lac# of any clear indication for 3arols attitude and her failure to
understand his teachers argumentation ma#es it difficult to accept only one reading of
the playA Mamet only adverts to meaning and motivation through the language of his
characters$ In Oleanna, as !ell as in other Mamet plays, such as The %ryptogram,
language ta#es on a special significance that reveals that there is no consensus and no
understanding bet!een individuals, !hich allo!s for little or no genuine human
connection and successful reception of informationA language thus becomes a destructive
force claiming its victim$
<
Works cited
5oggans, &homas H$, (.aying Clame' 5ender and Lubtext in David Mamets Oleanna,)
&odern 'rama () (*inter +,,-)' 677" 6,$ Md$ .a!rence 2$ &rudeau$ Nol$ 26$
@armington Hills, MI' &homson 5ale, 200<$
+er#hoff, Ingrid, (David Mamet,) %ontemporary .merican 'rama$ http'KK!!!$fb,0$uni"
bremen$deKanglisti#K#er#hoffK3ontempDramaKMamet$htm *0,$0<$ 2008-
Mamet, David, Oleanna, Nintage Coo#s, =e! Bor#$
Horter, M$ &homas, (Hostmodern Niolence in Oleanna,) &odern 'rama (/0+ (1pring
2))))0 ,7"2J$
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