Marxist Ideas Present in Glengarry Glen Ross

Marxist ideas can largely be broken down into domination of the lower class by the upper
class and production. In fact, everything stems from production and things related to it. The
upper class is only dominant because they control the means of production. The upper class
exploits the lower class through the labor of the lower class, which causes production of material
goods. A person achieves an identity through their production. All of these Marxist ideas are
present in Glengarry Glen Ross, specifically in a scene in which Alec Baldwin’s character gives
a “motivational speech” to some real estate agents.
What we see very clearly is domination of the lower class (the real estate agents) by the
upper class (Alec Baldwin). Baldwin’s character is obviously in control. He is in a position to tell
the other real estate agents that they are nothing, to demean them. And why does he have
undisputed control over the real estate agents? Because he controls the means of production.
Baldwin’s character has control over the “leads” that the real estate agents need to begin the
process of making a sale. Baldwin has enough power over them to choose whether or not to give
them the “leads” and displays his power by choosing not to. However, he is personally invested
in making sure that the real estate agents increase their production. In an example of the
exploitation of the labor of the lower classes, Baldwin’s character gets a percentage of each sale
that the real estate agents make.
Another Marxist idea present in the scene is that of ideology. More specifically, how the
“ruling ideology” can be used to manipulate the lower classes. Baldwin’s character uses the
Capitalist ideology to encourage the real estate agents to produce more. He tells them that if they
don’t make more money they’re no better than animals, which ties into the Marxist idea of
people distinguishing themselves through their consciousness and production. Baldwin’s
character expresses the central tenets of the Capitalist ideology to be selling and taking from
other people, and that the most successful people are those that make the most money (i.e.
produce the most). He identifies material goods as symbols of success, and cites his own watch
and car as examples. The real estate agents, for their part, allow themselves to be interpellated as
subjects by a man who represents an ISA.
This particular scene from Glengarry Glen Ross displays several Marxist ideas and gives
us an example of the Capitalist ideology at work. This ideology is what makes our country run,
and it is what allows the American bourgeoisie to continue to exploit the working classes. It is
what allows businesses to tell us to buy more of their product, and it is the reason we listen. But
then the question is: do we really want to continue to buy into the Capitalist ideology and the
consumerism it engenders? Marx was of the opinion that ideologies were constantly changing.
Might it not be time to change ours?











Works Cited
1. Althusser, Louis. “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses.” Literary Theory: An

Anthology. Ed. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2008.

693-702.

2. Marx, Karl. “The German Ideology.” Literary Theory: An Anthology. Ed. Julie Rivkin

and Michael Ryan. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2008. 653-658.

3. Marx, Karl. The Communist Manifesto.

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