Glengarry Glen Ross

Study Guide

Summary

Act Two, from Lingk's exit to the finish

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Summary Act Two, from Lingk's exit to the finish

Roma's kindness to Levene at the end of the scene seems touching until Levene goes into the inner office to face Baylen and Roma reveals his true motives to Williamson. We discover that Roma has been conning Levene all along, hoping to form a "partnership" with him so that he can ultimately steal half of Levene's commissions. For all of the cruelty and bitterness we have seen in the play, this final betrayal is perhaps the darkest. Roma, as top salesman on the board, does not have any particular reason or need to steal from Levene. Mamet is making a point: Roma's merciless greed is what makes him top salesman. If American business culture demands that coworkers compete against each other, than the only way to truly stay afloat is to take everything one can possibly get. Roma is the true "Machine." Mamet snuffs the one light in the play—Roma's seeming kindness to Levene—to demonstrate how capitalism can foster greed.

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