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Page 23 to 25 The Power of Silence

The first two characters introduced set the stage for the entire play, and thus
they are a critical step into introducing major themes and protagonists. Levene
and Williamson are two salesmen who have an in depth conversation about
leads and those superior to both of them. The dynamic between the two is able
to captivate the audience between their business discussion, as only one person
truly speaks.

Their dialogue is natural, especially in the sense that neither of them can finish
their own sentence before one of them interrupts. This constant fight for
dominance would have been enough to leave the audience entertained and
captivated enough to pay attention to their business terms, but what sets this
scene apart and sets the mood for the book, is the difference in dialogue.

Levene is a hot-tempered man who is in the scene to speak with Williamson, a

co-worker who is superior to him in their workforce. He talks for a good 75% of
the scene, and lets his co-worker speak only a few sentences. The reader,
however, knows that this is not a choice to show his weakness, but is instead a
tool for his superiority. In silence, he still dominates the conversation. After
asking for 100 dollars to seal their deal to get Levene more leads, Levene says,
“You fucking asshole. (Pause.) I haven’t got it. (Pause.) I haven’t got it, John.
(Pause.)” (25 Memet). Notice the constant pauses, and through Williamson’s
silence Levene gives in.

Act 1 Dialogue
In Act 1, the specific choice of dialogue brings in an aspect of life to the play
that many stories don’t include; natural mistakes. Dialogue is one of the key
elements of writing that can stand out to every reader, for it is very apparent
when a sentence sounds right or wrong. Imagery and metaphors are subjective
to the intellectual understanding the reader has and can be missed by a common
perspective, but not when a character is speaking.

In Glengarry Glen Ross, most of the scenes feature little to no action text,
letting the dialogue carry the entire story. It develops characters, setting,
relationship, conflict and even growth, all while keeping the audience captivated
and following salesmens’ struggles.
This is done through the characters’ ability to make mistakes when speaking.
They stutter and repeat their words all while upholding an informal chicago
accent. They talk over one another and sometimes even speak at the time. When
Moss spoke to Aaronow during their scene in the booth, he said, “And we
enslave ourselves. To please. To win some fucking toaster… to… to… and the guy
who go there first de up those…” (35 Mamet). Notice how he not only stutters
but also gives up on his sentence before finishing his thought. These sort of
mistakes bring a sense of life to the characters, allowing the reader to better
connect with their conflict and need for a resolution.