Gender Stereotypes In Glengarry Glen Ross

Females in Glengarry Glen Ross are perceived as ‘holding back’ business; Lingk’s wife- ‘My wife…my wife said I have to cancel the deal’ ; and Levene’s daughter- ‘John: John: … my daughter…’ . In this microcosm, ‘women stand in direct opposition to the fulfilment of the American Dream’ . This concept is asserted through Lingk’s wife, who compels Lingk to back out of the contract he signed with Roma. Roma refers to her ‘prudence,’ saying, ‘it’s just something women have’ , making a sweeping statement of the gender, implying that women ‘contaminate the male work’ force, and stand in direct opposition to ‘masculinity and capital’ . Levene’s daughter, on the other hand, is an embodiment of the stereotype that the ability to provide is a major part

Initially, she giggles and announces, ‘isn’t this lovely!’ , embodying the result of a 1950s woman forced to conform to society; inoffensive, agreeable, and devoted to her husband; the ideal woman. She says characteristically feminine things such as ‘I want to… put some powder on my nose’ . However, when ‘Honey gets drunk, begins to protest, and declares her dissatisfaction’ , she tears down this previously constructed veneer. She finds herself in conflict with her role as a woman, wife and a mother, protesting ‘I DON’T WANT… ANY… CHILDREN,’ the use of ellipses emphasising her inability to admit this in a constricted society. She denies the ultimate role assigned to women - that of a mother. This inability to be a mother is shared by Martha, also failing at her assigned gender role and ‘her only supposed purpose in life’ . Honey is terrified of the notion: ‘I’m afraid! I don’t want to be hurt’ and, like Martha, her lack of a child eats her up as she feels pressured by society to do what is expected of her; by refusing she has failed in her feminine

There is no place for men who are insecure or lack aggressiveness, and those who fail in their masculinity, such as Lingk, are controlled by others: ‘I can’t negotiate… I don’t have the power’ . Mamet’s characters are formed by the demands of 1980s capitalism, as western society suggests masculinity is tied to professional success, rather than previous social expectations of men, such as physical strength. However, masculinity is still associated with ambition and competitiveness, and this is embodied in Mamet’s work: ‘The qualities needed to be a successful worker are bound to those of the successful man’ . This ‘competition of manhood’ is a recurring motif, everything is a rivalry. ‘Whoever sells the most, gets the most respect, drives the fanciest car, and gets better sales in the future’ ; there is a literal capitalistic competition going on, alongside one of masculinity. As Levine tells Williamson, ‘a man’s his job’ . Levene’s failure to ‘close’ therefore represents his failure as a man. He resorts to begging; ‘I need your help’ , a pathetic request coming from someone ‘less than a man’. Lingk’s failure to stand up to his both wife and Roma again represents his failure as a man, the image of masculinity being formed around a man’s ability to stand on his own two feet. Lingk is pushed around by his wife; ‘It’s not me, it’s my wife… she wants her