Twilight vs. What Makes Sammy

¶ … Twilight vs. What Makes Sammy Run

Even though it is presently regarded as one of the most important concepts in the contemporary society, art is perceived differently by individuals depending on their personal convictions and on how they understand it. Anna Deavere Smith's 1992 introduction to the play "Twilight" and Budd Schulberg's 1941 book "What Makes Sammy Run" put across diverging perspectives in regard to the concept of art. To a certain degree, one can believe that Al Meinheim, Kit Sargent, and Sidney Fineman, three secondary characters in Schulberg's book, and Deavere Smith are similar, given that they all acknowledge the importance of originality in a play. However, while Deavere Smith focuses on being solely responsible for producing and promoting her plays, these three individuals adopt a different strategy and consider that it is very difficult for them to make it in a community dominated by concepts like image and glamour.

Although he initially feels that Sammy is one of his best friends, Al Manheim, the narrator in "What Makes Sammy Run," acknowledges the fact that his friend has little to nothing to do with the world of artists. Manheim even contrasts Sammy through his work and through his general approach on life as a whole. In spite of the fact that he is certain in regard to his qualities as a writer, Manheim lack confidence when it comes to his ability to sell his works and loses his self-esteem as a result of this.

By feeling "more than once, an increased humility" (Deavere Smith xxii) at the time when she wrote the play, the playwright/actress expresses her personal convictions and makes it possible for readers to understand where she stands in regard to art. Manheim considers that art is similar to a business where one needs successful people to represent him while Deavere Smith considers that it is a philosophical concept that one needs to address without being interest in profits. In spite of partially agreeing with Sammy when considering the financial aspect of art, Manheim is much more modest than his friend and shares Deavere Smith's convictions concerning an artist's life.

Both Manheim and Sargent are attracted to the glamorous world of Sammy and are even willing to step on their principles in order to do so. It is certainly difficult to determine whether they do it because of the fact that they appreciate Sammy's lifestyle or if they simply want to be close to their friend regardless of his determination to perform immoral acts. It appears that these people are unhesitant about selling themselves to Sammy in spite of the fact that they are well aware that they are worth much more than him as artists because of their dedication to the domain. The two characters perceive Sammy to be more than a simple opportunist and probably consider that he has an artist's personality. This is why they continue to appreciate him in situations when they are disgusted with the choices that he makes.

It is very important for an individual to have moral principles in order for him to be able to consider himself or herself an artist. Art is virtually meant to provide other people with something that they can appreciate and with something that fuels their inspiration. Deavere Smith claims that it is very important for an artist to collaborate with people coming from environments that he or she addresses. She thinks that a successful artist would need to acknowledge the significance of people in his or her life. Deavere Smith largely believes that a play is the result of a community collaborating and making it possible for an individual to be able to produce a complex artistic concept.

Deavere Smith's interaction with collaborators with the purpose of writing a play does not only consist out of moments during which she takes in their ideas. She actually develops a strong bond with the persons that she works with in an attempt to understand more regarding the general context of the topic that she addresses. These people are very important for her, as she acknowledges the fact that it is almost impossible for someone to be able to write a successful play without having a strong knowledge of the subject that he or she wants to write in regard to.

Life provided Manheim with the opportunity to enjoy simple things and life as an artist made it possible for him to understand that one's ambition should only relate to the quality of his or her work. He did not consider that money was important for an individual to be happy and thus came to be much richer than Sammy in the end of the story. Being a true artist apparently provides people with the chance to appreciate life as it is.

It is likely that Deavere Smith would have employed a different attitude if she were to meet a person like Sammy. The fact that she puts her work first makes it possible for her to understand art exactly as it is -- unique. She does not express any interest in performing artwork for the sake of money, as she is more concerned about the effects that her writing will have on people and about her evolution as an artist. Manheim and Sargent know that they are artists, but are unable to exploit this trait to its full extent. It is very probable that they think similarly to Deavere Smith and that they simply enjoy making art because of the thrill coming along with this. Sidney Fineman appreciates talent and is led to believe that Sammy is a very good artist. However, when he realizes that he was tricked, he is unable to recover his losses and acknowledges that an artist does not belong in business environments. Deavere Smith is largely confident regarding her personality and is reluctant to yield to society's values. Even with the fact that she is apparently uninterested in profits, she does not hold back from fructifying her work, as she feels that it is perfectly natural for her to be rewarded for the concepts that she brings in the world.

The overall environment at Hollywood is not fit for an honest artist because he or she might feel uncomfortable by being surrounded by individuals who are only interested in exploiting his or her abilities. People who go there with the purpose of getting rich regardless of what they have to do in order to do so are likely to have an advantage when compared to people who want to go there in order to have others recognize their talent. It is not necessarily that being an artist does not involve profits, as the problem with being a successful artist lies in one's ability to continue to produce work that is in accordance with his or her personal beliefs and that is not shaped by the demands of the environments that the respective person interacts with.