In
the play “Who’s afraid of Virginia Wolf?” written by Albee during the Cold War,
we can live in the flesh the reality that a dysfunctional middle-aged couple
was living in a context developed after the Second World War; context that can
be described as cynical and materialistic, which provoked that people were
anxious about meeting society’s expectations on how to form a family, what kind
of job achieve, etc.
Indeed,
Martha and George were trying to fulfill society's expectations as well. Sadly,
they did not meet the fixed reality that the United States was creating and
selling for their citizens. In fact, they had problems because in the house,
Martha was the one that had a better job and took the money home. Besides,
George could not get a promotion in his job, which was very embarrassing for
the couple.
And
the biggest failure of the couple was that they did not have a son, which pushed
them into the stupid creation of a false son, perhaps to live under the illusion
of living according to the expectations of people.
Because
of all the problems that the couple has, both make up fantasies about their
lives together in a somewhat unconscious attempt to ease the pains that they
have had to face along the way. Another way of escaping from their tortuous
lives was through a little game that both played, insulting, screaming, ridiculing
each other in different ways. They were used to behave in this way maybe
because of the context in which they lived, which was set by capitalism and an
attitude prompt by the end of the Second World War.
That
horrid setting was promoting human spirit and equal society destruction, leading
to antithetical behaviors; perhaps that is why this couple was inside a game of
loving and hating each other.
For
instance, in the next extract of the play, we can see how Martha values her husband
as the only one in this entire world who can satisfy her, but also as the only
one who can destroy her.
“George
who is good to me, and whom I revile; who understands me, and whom I push off;
who can make me laugh, and I choke it back in my throat; who can hold me, at
night, so that it’s warm, and whom I will bite so there’s blood . . .”
It
seems to me that Martha recognizes her love for George, but she needs to be
wound and to hurt somebody just to maintain the illusions that keep them going.
Playing
the same game, but without recognizing it, there were Honey and Nick. The young
couple of the play. They show themselves as right citizens, very polite and controlled,
and of course they had been very conservative about getting married at the
exact point of the relationship. A conventional American couple that fitted
with the country’s expectations.
However,
the young couple had their secrets too. They were married for money, not for love,
and they could not have a child. So while the play progresses, we can see that
this young couple is as broken as the middle-aged couple. They are full of
fears, illusions, lies and shames.
Over
the course of the play, the couple’s masks are torn off, exposing Martha,
George, Nick, and Honey to themselves and to each other. Perhaps, though, this
exposure frees them as well. And when they feel comfortable with their true faces,
all of them show how immature they are, how broken they are, and how that sick
society in which they had to survive has devastated their lives.
Possibly,
that was why none of the characters was ready to have children, in part because
they are all living like children themselves, or because they were so
frustrated for not meeting the expectations of everybody that they ended up
sabotaging their own lives.
Without
hesitation, there was something in their lives that was lacking, not merely in
her marriage or her life, but also in the whole society.
But
Martha and George crossed a line when they lied about a son that did not exist.
Thank God, when Martha broke a rule about talking about that son, George
decided to kill their son as an attempt to change the awful reality in which
they live. So they could start living without illusion and face reality in
order to create now expectations for themselves.
In
fact, the joke that is said in the play is about this. Edward Albee has said
that the song, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" means "Who is
afraid to live without illusion?" At the end of the play, Martha says that
she is. Indeed, ending the illusion of their false son frees them from their tempestuous
lives. Poor Martha, do not be afraid to live without illusion.
The
play can be contrasted with the Beat Generations’ view of the world, because all
those works showed the disappointment of the post-war society. Society that was
materialistic, capitalistic and egoistic, which prompted unethical behaviors
among Americans.
For
instance, Allen Ginsberg, part of the Beat Generation, wrote “Howl” in 1955.
Poem that was a strong and acid critic against the reality created by the
post-war governments that were trying to give hope by the American dream to American
citizens.
Nowadays, I would say that the society is not much different from the one that existed in those years... The thing is... Are you afraid to live without illusion?
References:
Albee, E. (1962). Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?
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