Open Prompt Revised: The American Dream

1993. "The true test of comedy is that it shall awaken thoughtful laughter." Choose a novel, play, or long poem in which a scene or character awakens "thoughtful laughter" in the reader. Write an essay in which you show why this laughter is "thoughtful" and how it contributes to the meaning of the work.

A true piece of comedy is said to evoke "thoughtful laughter" which causes one to think intellectually about a joke or subject. In "The American Dream", Edward Albee promotes thoughtful laughter by presenting scenarios where intellectual thought must be applied. Albee uses techniques such as tone and diction to show how the manipulation of power and rebelling against societal norms creates humor.

 Mommy is proven to be masculine; she is given more power than Daddy. The idea that women have more power than men shows a "backward society", which contrasts the norm that men have more authority than women. This technique promotes laughter when  Mommy forces daddy to laugh at her jokes or when she forces Daddy to answer the door. When Daddy is hesitating to answering the door, Mommy states "You're indecisive, you're a woman" ( Albee 18), this shows that not only is Mommy aware of the lack of coherent thought that women possess, but also that Daddy's inability to be more masculine is a flaw in his character. It is evident that Mommy is strong and firm in her actions, and Daddy is weak and has no control in his. After observing the relationship Mommy and Daddy foster, the audience can clearly see how the manipulation of power promotes laughter.

Mommy and Daddy commonly address each other in a child-like tone. When Mommy goes shopping and ends up buying the same hat twice just to feel that she bought a "beige colored hat" rather than a "wheat colored hat", Daddy applauds at her immature behavior when she throws a fit in the store. This promotes thoughtful laughter because the audience has to think about how oblivious Mommy behaves in public and how Daddy supports it. In this sense, Mommy is once again given more power. 

Albee uses diction and tone to show how Mommy is given more power than Daddy. Through a series of events that contrast to idealistic values, he promote "thoughtful laughter" that displays the manipulation of power in a backwards society.