¶ … Oleanna, by David Mamet. Specifically, it will argue that Mamet's main theme is the declining process of education in our country today.

OLEANNA

In "Oleanna," the character of Carol continually tells her professor she does not understand, and she feels an outsider in his class. What Mamet makes clear is she is not only thinking about John's class, which she is afraid she will fail; she is talking about life in general. She knows she is not ready for "real" life after graduation. The underlying message is clear and compelling - higher education does not prepare students for "real" life any more than television commercials depict real people in real situations. Another not so subtle clue to the gap between educator and student is John's conversation with his real estate agent during his meeting with Carol. This man is so removed from his student's troubles and uncertainties that he cannot even be totally present for a meeting to discuss these troubles. These two people are not simply different generations and genders; they plainly have no clue about each other. John is going through the motions when he meets with Carol, and the reader surmises he also goes through the motions in his classroom, which is one reason why Carol is so confused. Another clue to the failure of the education system is Carol's speech, which is short, choppy, and clearly unintellectual. The professor is her intellectual superior, but has not been able to impart his knowledge to his student. The educational system has failed Carol - not because she is stupid, but because in reality, she does not exist as a person, she is simply a cog in the educational wheel. At the end of the meeting, the only weapon Carol sees is sexual harassment, and she grabs on to it because there is so little recognition or understanding from the man who could have changed her life, had he not been so busy ignoring his students.