클리포드 오데츠의 연극과 급진주의 서사

Abstract

Many Americans believe in their traditional values and their political and social system. The values are concretized in American dream, the optimistic narrative of American life. This narrative of American dream suggests that America is a country in which one's dreams and desires can be fulfilled through one's effort, and a country in which freedom and opportunity are guaranteed. Radicalism denies the traditional American values based on American dream, so its presence is thought to be harmful to American society and American values. Therefore it is suppressed in the name of ‘un-American’ ideas. However, The Great Depression broke this optimistic narrative based on the American dream. The Great Depression has great influence on American people and Clifford Odets' works reflect the hard times during the 1930s. Clifford Odets doubts the dominant narrative, which praises the traditional American values and the rosy view of American capitalism. He deals with the failure of American Dream in Paradise Lost, and Awake and Sing!. In Waiting for Lefty, he shows the violent side of capitalism and advocates the worker's right to strike. He also illustrates Fascism's brutal acts against the radicals in Till the Day I Die, in which Fascism is portrayed as another violent side of the benevolent democratic capitalism.