It would be easy to agree with the misogynistic side and go with it, but I want to try to go the other way. From how I see it, the women in the play hold all the cards (their influence). They give the boys in the office the illusion that they’re in control. Think about it; Mrs. Lingk (although not in the scene with Mr. Lingk and Roma) lets her husband have the impression of “wearing the pants” in their relationship, but ultimately orders her husband to head back and back out of the sale the very next day. He begins to plead and panic while in the office just so his wife can have her way (by extension this can be seen as though Mr. Lingk has no free will of his own). This can also be seen as the leverage Roma uses to go through with the deal since he has no personal input and solely relying on his wife’s. By taking a good look at Mr. Lingk’s mannerisms it can be safe to confirm the fact that his wife has complete control over him (even more evident when watching the film adaptation).
Even if Levene’s daughter isn’t real, he still knows how to play the cards. Since women control everything who says you can’t use that to your advantage when you’re a guy? We men would be complete losses if it weren’t for women. As it would seem to be an exploit of women… Levene pulling the “Daughter” card allows him to pull the strings to get better leads out of Williamson. However, this momentary advantage eventually backfires and leads to Levene’s eventual downfall.
When it comes to Levene’s “big sale” with the Nyborgs… Who says the Nyborgs’s crazy act of signing contracts they have no intention of paying for wasn’t Harriet Nybog’s idea? It is Levene’s own fault for not carefully doing his job. I do believe karma comes into play here. Not just him, but everyone in the office who desperately attempts to sell property in illegal manners will one day reap what he has sown. In this case, Levene got what he deserved after misleading person after person.
As the chain of events picks up speed I would be bold to say that Williamson, in a sense, is a woman who pulls the strings and catches Levene. I only say this because of Roma’s previous rant peaking when he called Williamson a “C***”. Picking up where Roma left off, Levene boasts that he knew Williamson lied was the one thing needed to ensnare the older gentleman. No fabrication about his daughter can gain the sympathy of his co-workers or the authorities this time; Shelley Levene was dealt a poor hand.
I would have to totally agree with your argument of Williamson being, in a sense, a woman. He controls the office just as the unseen women of the play control their men. Since there are no female characters cast in this play, Williamson seems to be the balance in the office, bringing in sense and logic. Levene, as well as the rest of the men dealing scandalous deals, really is at fault for their own actions. They all chose to do business that way and of course it comes back to bite them in the butt. Levene really does know how to try to pull the heartstrings with his daughter stint, but your right, she might not even be real. But, who wants to say no to a guy with a child in a hospital. When it comes down to it, none of them are good salesmen at all. They all have to lie their way through negotiations and weasel their way through deals. The unseen women are behind it all. They are the ones who control whether or not these deals go through. Its after the salesmen leave that the women talk their husbands into the idea that it was a bad sale. Lingk’s wife is great at this. She allowed her husband to do the deal, only to turn the next day and tell him to undo it. You are completely right, the women let the men think they wear the pants in the families, but really, it’s the other way around.
ReplyDeleteInfluence definitely lies in the hands of the women in Mamet’s play. You also mention that Karma comes into play here. Quite interesting. That thought was probably creeping in the back of my mind, but you’ve brought it to light in your analysis. Illegal sales methods, not caring about others, complete disrespect for one another- It adds up that this office is just a deck of cards that was bound to topple over at any moment. Levene and the others all got what they deserved through their maniacal scheming, criminal activity and immorality. Another unique observation: Williamson is in one sense of another a woman. However, I do feel that it was primarily Levene’s carelessness, as opposed to Williamson’s cunning, that led to Levene’s downfall. I might be wrong. Perhaps Williamson did actually take that opportunity, knowing what he was doing, and had planned to ensnare the wrongdoer. How interesting would the inter-office dynamics be if Williamson were actually played by a woman? All of our analyses may well change.
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