Carol and John in the office.
Firstly, where does the title Oleanna come from? Oleanna was a Norwegian Folk Song that glorified Oleanna as a utopia for those living in a failing community in the arctic circle.
Dense Norwegian forests made living off the land difficult.
There are two main ways I believe we can apply the meaning of "Oleanna" to this play. The first is obviously in regards to education. Carol says and repeatedly ensues to John, "you have no idea what it cost me to come to this school"(Mamet, 21). This college was her version of Oleanna, but like the Norwegian farmers, it turned out not to be such a utopia. She desires to be there, but is challenged. She wished instead for a place where "The cows all like to milk themselves, and the hens lay eggs three times a day."(Folk Song) She takes part of her anger out on her professor, which is the main source of conflict in the play.
John finds himself in a similar situation. His Oleanna is a new home and tenure, but he is also facing problems while in pursuit of it. It seems that the grass is always greener on the other side, or "I Oleana der er det godt at være,/i Norge vil jeg inte Slavelænken bære" ("Oh, to be in Oleanna, that is where I’d like to be/Than be bound in Norway and drag the chains of slavery"(Mamet, 4) in Norwegian).
An alternate application of the title would be to Carol's strange disposition and situation. Carol yells, "I don't want revenge. I WANT UNDERSTANDING"(Mamet, 28), indicating that she has been previously disgruntled. She accuses John of not being able to relate to how students (possibly her) "Overcame prejudices. Economic, sexual, you cannot begin to imagine. And endured humiliations I pray that you and those you love never will encounter"(Mamet,28). She despises him for not having to suffer the hardships she may have. Following the theme of power, she picks on him out of so many others because she finds a means of exploiting him. Instead of appreciating his help and kindness, Carol despises him for "All [his] silly weak guilt"(Mamet, 31) claiming that "it’s all about privilege"(Mamet, 31). This further confirms her bias and hatred. When an individual is so filled with rage, they need a just reason to retaliate. I believe that Carol is simply venting behind the guise of political activism. Perhaps when she yelled, "I don't want revenge. I WANT UNDERSTANDING"(Mamet, 28), she meant it in a different way, and not in reference to the conversation at hand. She wanted to be understood in terms of whatever difficulties she previously encountered. The only way for someone to understand the hatred and injustice she felt was to experience it first-hand, and that is exactly what she set up for John. She put him in a position where he could finally understand her, thus explaining the meaning of the her final line, when John almost hits her with a chair, "...yes, that's right"(Mamet, 47). He understood her, he suffered as she did. She finally experienced her twisted Oleanna. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind," encouraging people not to seek revenge as a form of consolidation. That sounds like solid advice for Carol!
Gandhi's idea of peace was one Carol did not choose to follow.
Her character reminds me of the song Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls. Instead of interpreting the "you" in this song as a person or lover, imagine it as a reference to her vision of Oleanna. Also pay attention to the starred verse. The lyrics read:
"And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight
And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
**And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything seems like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know your alive**
And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am."
I don't understand the footage much, but audio definitely adds another dimension.
She chooses to "bleed just to know [she's] alive" and take refuge in pain by inflicting it rather than finding understanding peacefully. She wishes her misfortune upon others in order to resolve her own problems. Perhaps being hated brings her to life, and she enjoys the feelings because being beaten is something natural to her. These ideas could possibly be games she sets up for herself because she spends her time wallowing in self-pity for no explainable reason. This inspires the audience to respond with a very strange sense of pity for her.
River City Rebels' album title, "Hate to be Loved" suggests that some people, like Carol, prefer to be hurt in order to feel comfort.
This is a very strong statement about political activism. Perhaps their anger is misplaced and those businessmen who are often attacked are as innocent and good-willed as John. His excited nature on the phone allows the audience to connect with him as he babbles, "Well, yes, I’m I’m … no, I’m sure it’s signif … I’m sure it’s significant"(Mamet,7). When he reaches out to Carol, he continues to build a rapport. When the audience discovers that Carol's actions have lead him to admit that he "[hadn't] been home for two days... Thinking this out"(Mamet,36), they continue to sympathize with him rather than the cold and calculating Carol, whom John asks, "Don't you have feelings?"(Mamet,29). These characterizations are quite opposite to our regular views of activists and those they oppose.
Most individuals fighting the government or system are seen as peaceful animal lovers, not vengeful angsty children!
No comments:
Post a Comment