Role Of John In Oleanna

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In the academic world, it is common sense for teachers and students to have mutual respect and communicate clearly. The play Oleanna play by David Mamet demonstrates the fight for power between a professor and a student. After analyzing the play it is hard to take sides with the characters since both of them have deceitful personalities; however, John does not deserve to be accused of rape because the rape charges are a product of Carol’s imagination. From the beginning John is trying to emphasis with Carol about how she is feeling and Carol distorts his words. JOHN: Well. I don’t know if I’d put it that way. Listen: I’m talking to you as I’d talk to my son. Because that’s what I’d like him to have that I never had. I’m talking to you the way I wish that someone had talked to me. I don’t know how to do it, other than to be personal, . . . but . . . CAROL: Why would you want to be personal with me? (19) John tries to understand what she is feeling; he gives his personal experience …show more content…

John is not all innocent, he had his moments of losing temper; however, accusing him of rape was a lie and he does not deserve to be criminally charged. Carol is plotting with her group to destroy his reputation merely because they don’t agree with his point of view. Everyone is entitled to have different opinion, but that does not give anyone the right to start false accusations only to prove a point. The only thing he did was put his arms around her shoulders and she is distorting the story to a very serious accusation. John ultimately looses his composure when Carol says “ don’t call your wife baby. You heard what I said”(79). She thinks that she has total control of the situation and that John will do whatever she asks for. I am not in favor of violence, but I can’t help to feel that Carol deserved a spanking. Since John is going to be criminally charged for rape even tough he did not do it. Now he will have a real reason to go to