Gender Stereotypes In Glengerry Glen Ross

This essay will explore the link between masculinity and capitalism and how it is represented and internalized by the character of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, and analyze how Willy views success in business as his only means of retaining his masculinity. In Contradictions of Capital and Care, Nancy Fraser says that social reproduction is the work of females while a man’s role is financial (Fraser, 55); if a man cannot be a provider- such is the case with Willy- then by definition of capitalism, he is not a man. Miller wrote the play in 1949, and it is set in the hyper patriarchal society of the mid twentieth century in which gender roles were a necessity, and any man who did not meet the criteria of masculinity (including

Imagine you could wear glasses that showed different things out of eachlens. Most likely each pair of glasses, whatever they may look like, serve the same function, to see clearer. However, if you had different lenses which showed different images, out of your right eye you may see an apple and out of your left, an orange. In Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, men view women through a different lens than they do others, holding them to different standards and expectations. Within that lense, there are different optical powers which are representative of the double standards men hold for women. Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing takes place in the small town of Messina, located in Italy. The prince of Aragon, Don Pedro, has

In his play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses “the common man as a fit subject for tragedy in the highest sense” (Lawrence, Trudeau and Ross Vol. 1) and failure in the accomplishment of the American. The play tends to recline more in the direction of masculinity where men’s sole role is to get a job and support the family and the woman be seen and ordered which brings out the idea of traditional gender roles at its best. Though this is the case, it is very evident that women played an important role in this play. Although every character in the served and had a main purpose, women served a major role not only as subjects of submission and satisfaction who helped define who the men really were in the 1940’s but also as elements of support and wisdom.

An expecting couple awaits to discover the gender of their baby. The nurse announces that it’s a girl. The couple is extremely excited, but do they truly grasp the weight of what this implies? Gender is not simply a physical trait, as it affects nearly every aspect of a person’s life. Stereotypes repress the potential in all men and women. The same stereotypes are found throughout literature such as Medea by Euripides, Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, “Sonnets” by Shakespeare, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Frederick Waterman’s “The Best Man Wins”. A common thread between these pieces is that power can be gained by those who are suppressed by defying gender stereotypes and social hierarchies.

The social role that is reflected during the 1950 's as well as in the play is the gender roles within society. Gender roles dictates things such as how a man or a woman should behave, what jobs may be suitable, and what is considered to be masculine and feminine. According to the gender role men are expected to be the head of the family, to work a respectable job, and be able to provide their family with basic as well as material needs. As individuals, we are always adjusting our self-concept since it "includes... our self-image... that is subject to constant change... based on...[the] different positions that one holds in society".( Stets & Burke 5-7) The characters in the play Death of A Salesman are faced with this issue of trying to fulfill their social role to the best of their abilities. Biff, Willy 's son, for example struggles to fit into his father 's dream, the American dream, as well as his role as a man in society.

In the courtyard of a low income, state boarding sits two teenage boys on an old, stained, orange couch, that has the seat cushions missing playing checkers with a chess set. The two boys are low level drug dealers, one of which, Wallace, still a small part of innocence somewhere deep in him. When their boss, the manager, of the pit, D’Angelo Barksdale comes up and ask if they are playing chess, both boys shrug and admit they do not know how. D’Angelo then goes to explain to them how to play chess with using each piece as if it were part of a drug empire. He explains to the two boys, which pieces they are and what the higher parts are all the way up to the king, who is untouchable.

In our society today people are put into classifications because of the gender they are. Males are saw as tough individuals and looked to for maintenance work or physical labor. Whereas females are saw as house keepers and stay at home moms. In all four of the stories in The River Reader the characters are defined by their gender.

Ultimately, the two main female characters in the play Death of a Salesman were the victims of constantly being silenced and treated as objects instead of human beings, thus allowing the men to succumb to the false ideology of male superiority.

Themes Masculinity It is considered masculine for one to take decisions on basis of rationality and reason. On the other hand, being considerate while taking decisions not just on basis of reason but also considering the ethical and moral aspects of the circumstances is considered effeminate. Craft brings forth this stereotype throughout the novel in the form of the characters of Major Tetley and Art Croft. Major Tetley views his son as a sickly, sensitive, and effeminate young man whom he wants to become a ‘man’ and it is in furtherance of this intention that he takes up the task of leading the posse.

The presence of sexism is more subtle, but nonetheless notable. There seems to be an assumed connection between masculinity and selling ability. Shelly Levine attributes manager John Williamson's inability to run an office and poor business ability to his lack of masculinity, saying, "you don't have the balls" (p. 76). Richard Roma also attacks Williamson, calling him a "cunt," and asking, "Whoever told you you could work with men?" (p. 96). Levine also insults Williamson for his incompetence, saying that he "isn't man enough" to know what to do, after informing a client that his

Masculinity is viewed as a dominant force that determines how successful a sales agent is, for these agents masculinity is a façade that’s used to mask the underlying flaws which is fear of being perceived as less than manly, and the lust for power and money that ultimately clouds their

Children are surrounded by messages almost from birth, such as counting books for preschoolers that use cands or cereal, popular and appealing branded items in the supermarket, movie and toy tie-ins in fast-food restaurants, product placement in movies, advertisements on television and the Internet, and entertainment and sports media. The product merchandise consist of clothing, makeup, shoes, jewelry, music, and even food. In 1960’s and 1970’s  companies like started to make figurines and toys out of movies and TV shows. The first merchandising came  from the Disney brothers.  Companies like Disney started using tie in merchandise to advertise for movies and shows coming out. In a lot of times, product merchandising will influence the box

In David Mamet’s play, “Glengarry Glen Ross”, a group of sales representatives, Shelly Levene, Richard Roma, Dave Moss, and George Aaronow, are placed into a competition that sets all of them against each other. Their bosses challenge the four men to compete against one another in a sales competition where the winner with the most sales will receive a brand new Cadillac and the two people with the least sales will lose their job. With the ultimatum of losing their job, the men struggle to out due each other in hopes that they will come out on top (Mamet 21). Through dialogue and tone, Mamet presents the characters with a sense of desperation and determination; thus, he propels the story into countless affairs of deception and cheating, and

I think this play is very different to me and my fellow colleague’s because sexism is rare to see day to day in our environment. Even if this isn’t rare to see on a day to day basis, we rarely experience sexist remarks to women. Nor does our generation work in such a class based society, which diversifies jobs based their gender. Our society encourages jobs to be the goal and to have a fulfilling career, which can provide for the rest of someone’s life.

Beyond this similarity, however, lies a profound relevance that concerns American social values. In his play, Miller demonstrates an American society in which success equals money, and success alone serves as the measure against which a man's value is measured. Willy lives in the world of business competition; he succeeds only when he dominates the competition to get the sale. The play develops the idea that Willy is not, however, the exception to the rule; he is a reflection of the materialistic society that has produced him. Moral values and personal integrity have no meaning in Willy's competitive business world. Only success, as measured in money, is valued, with the result that Willy and his family are destroyed in several different ways.