Glengarry Glen Ross

Levene is an older, past-his-prime salesman who brags that he was once successful enough to put his daughter through college, though he is now so broke that he can’t pay his own check for dinner. Levene lives in a hotel, and he references his daughter as a reason for Williamson take pity and give him leads, suggesting that he is helping to support her. His anger and bitterness constantly show through, undermining his appeals for sympathy. Of all the characters in this ensemble cast, Levene is the one who most closely mirrors Willy Loman, the protagonist of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Levene’s tragedy of the common man arises because he simply can’t support his family by selling anymore, and his downfall is a result of his excessive pride. Levene burglarizes the office, and when Williamson catches him in a lie, he gives his name to the detective because, as he says, he doesn’t like Levene, likely because Levene has repeatedly berated and belittled Williamson out of a belief that being a salesman makes him better and more of a man, even when he isn’t selling.