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Advanced American Lit WA4
David Mamet uses the interwoven themes of alienation, marginalization and assimilation in different ways. First, he uses the theme of alienation to analyze himself. He provides an overview of the way he felt isolated from the American society while he was studying in New York City. His studying method made him become aware of the language people use, and how it determines the way people behave. The author in his plays and films uses the “MametSpeak” (Mamet 1947) language, which has been described as one of the perfect words used in his work. In Glengarry Glen Ross, Mamet tries to bring out the theme of marginalization through giving an example of a desperate man who tried to keep his job in a profession that did not fit him. In addition, he uses assimilation through the selling business as a metaphor of the condition in the American society. For the people working in offices, the end of their careers necessitates a new search for identity in the world, which has no space for them.
Toni Morrison uses the theme of alienation to reveal a recurring feature during her adult life. She is an African-American author who is different from the African norm since her values are somehow more advanced than the norm. In the Recitatif, Morrison reveals the theme of assimilation through fusing the minority group, which is women, with the dominant society. She tries to explore women’s responsibilities through shaping their consciousness. She interwove the theme of marginalization by narrating the story about two-childhood friends, one who is an American and the other an African-American as they move through the civil rights period. Even though she does not reveal which woman belongs to what certain race, the reader can tell the way marginalization, especially during this period, led to forced assimilation (Morrison 1931). This led to the infringement of rights for many African-Americans
Thomas Pynchon walker uses the interwoven themes of alienation, marginalization and alienation to bring out the search for identity. First, the author brings out the theme of alienation whereby he first tries to hide his identity as a famous man: “he does not want to be famous” (Pynchon 1937). Little is known about him because of his insistence in remaining private. Through his silence and through his lack of pride despite being a famous man, he portrays the theme of alienation. In addition, in his short story known as the Entropy, he uses the marginalization theme through this nonlinear narrative that reflects on the nature of being an American. His fiction work brings out the assimilation theme whereby he writes, “soldier’s crash Meatball’s party” (Pynchon 1937) which ends up making the communist join in the fun.
Maxine Hong Kingston brings out the alienation theme through her struggle to balance her parents’ cultural values to those of the rest of America. She is a Chinese immigrant and through her struggle to balance the American values to her own values, she indicates the search for identity. She brings out the theme of marginalization though revealing challenges for Chinese-Americans living in a country where diverse cultures exist. In Tripmaster Monkey, she brings out the marginalization theme especially in the social process of being an American (Hong Kingston 1940). She portrays the marginalization of the lower class people and the experience of people especially the Chinese, in a marginalized community. The author tries to assimilate the American culture though encouraging her family and the Chinese friends to adapt the attitude and customs of the American culture. Thus, her book has been described as influential because she strives to create literature based on complicated issues that may create discomfort in the readers.
Work cited
Hong Kingston, Maxine. Search for identity. 1940. Web.
<http://www.learner.org/amerpass/unit16/authors-6.html>
Mamet, David. Search for identity. 1947. Web. August 22, 2011
<http://www.learner.org/amerpass/unit16/authors-7.html>
Morrison, Tony. Search for identity. 1931. Web. August 22, 2011
<http://www.learner.org/amerpass/unit16/authors-8.html>
Pynchon, Thomas. Search for identity. 1937. Web.
<http://www.learner.org/amerpass/unit16/authors-9.html>
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