In the play Glengarry Glen Ross, selling is like a complicated courtship. Richard Roma is sales. Throughout the play, we never once get a true insight into the real Richard Roma. All we know is that he is good at his job, greedy and calculating.
His demeanor changes on a dime; he is whoever he needs to be in whatever situation he happens to be in. This is his edge. Roma starts out as a pseudo-intellectual sitting in a restaurant. He sees a man that he has never met before, Mr. Lingk, sitting by himself. Roma decides to try and make a completely unplanned sale.
Roma starts out easy, not wanting to raise the stranger’s defenses by saying immediately that he is a salesman. Roma begins talking about simple things that any man could relate to. Roma captures Lingk’s interest, gains his trust, and artfully pitches his sale in the guise of a disillusioned salesman just trying to help a fellow man out. The last thought on Lingk’s mind is to invest in real estate, but Roma puts on his “good ol’ boy” face, and makes the sale anyway. When Lingk comes to see Roma at the office the next day to cancel the sale, Roma is ready to play the game. Without any preparation time, Roma cues Levene, and slips easily into his facade of the night before.
First, Roma tries to distract Lingk from the purpose of his visit by introducing him to an “impressive businessman” that Roma supposedly does much business with. Levene is an old campaigner himself, and has no problem slipping into his part. By making Lingk think that Roma does business with someone of so much influence, Roma is also hoping to increase his credibility and authority with Lingk. When Lingk persists in his urgency to talk with Roma about the cancellation of his sale, Roma makes an excuse to leave the office, wanting to stall Lingk until the sale is irreversible. Lingk is not put off, so Roma tries to shame Lingk by making him admit that he is bowing to pressure from his wife. This strikes a nerve within Lingk, so Roma persists, and starts to convince Lingk that the problem lies not within the purchase of land, but within Lingk’s lack of authority in his marriage.
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What Devices and Techniques Does Willy Russell Employ in "Blood Brother"? How Successful Are They In Communicating The Themes & Ideas Of The Play? To start a play each dramatist has to make a number of decisions. They have to decide what they want the viewers to think of the play, whether it should be believable or just to convey a theme and for the audience to sit in judgment of the play. In ...
This, of course, is a very subtle but vicious move. Roma is basically insulting Lingk’s manhood. He suggests that making this purchase will reassure Lingk’s authority as “the man” in his marriage, without ever overtly suggesting it. This is a powerful button to push, and Roma knows this quite well. This line of thinking probably would have worked if Williamson hadn’t interrupted. Roma even tries to manipulate his own co-worker into a setup that works to his benefit.
He boosts Levene’s failing ego, pretending to think that Levene has something to teach Roma about salesmanship. In reality, Roma only wants to work with Levene so that he can get a percentage of Levene’s earnings. Roma is a predator; if he sees a weak spot in someone’s personality he uses it every time. He goes for the jugular whenever possible, and feels no remorse.
That cold-hearted attitude and his ability to step in and out of a role he needs to play is what makes him so effective. I admire the speed with which Roma’s mind works, and the fact that he takes selling to the level of an art-form. He is ruthless, and will go to whatever extent he needs to get what he wants. However, I hope that I never run into someone like him.
