In Edward Albee’s drama, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, the psyche of the American family illustrates suppression of the American Dream due to the unrealistic elements of the ideal family. The model family consisted of a success, children, and a cookie- cutter marriage. George and Martha can not achieve these predetermined pieces of an American family, so they compensate for their deficiency through illusion and criticism.
A fundamental element of the American Dream is significant success. Consequently, the psyche of an ordinary American family aims towards attaining affluence and superior public image. George is not successful, and Martha refers to him as “an old bog in the History Department” (54). Martha belittles George’s lack of accomplishments, “He didn’t have any personality, you know what I mean? Which was disappointing to Daddy, as you could imagine. So here I am, stuck with this flop…” (93). Seeing that George could not ascend to meet the expectations of Martha and her family, this caused a major implication in their family dynamics.
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The central illusion in the play is the child that Martha and George fabricated. Their imaginary child is the only aspect tying their marriage together. Martha and George both use their “son” as a way to offset their imperfections such as failure and addiction:
GEORGE. Lies? All right. A son who would not disown his father, who came to
Him for advice, for information, for love that wasn’t mixed with a sickness—and you know what I mean Martha! —Who could not tolerate that slashing, braying residue that called itself his MOTHER. MOTHER? HAH!!
MARTHA. All right, you. A son who was so ashamed of his father that he