Oleanna by David Mamet: Father-Daughter RelationshipsThe most obvious and natural of all hierarchical relationships is that of parent and child. It exists from the most primitive and wild beasts to the most evolved and developed primates. Thus, almost all relationships can be made synonymous and equitable by this archetypal hierarchy. The parent-child relationship is perhaps the most delicate, complex and dysfunctional of all existing relationships. Parents regularly disappoint and disillusion their children, and vice versa. Children rebel against the standards set by their parents and then readopt them when necessary. This is the case in the play Oleanna by David Mamet, in which the two main characters, John and Carol, take on a rather dysfunctional father-daughter relationship. The actions taken by John throughout the work delineate the hypothesis that his exploits should be considered incestuous in regards to the relationship he shares with his student. Carol, with the support of her "group", accuses her university professor of sexual harassment, rape and battery. It thus threatens to annihilate every aspect of the life for which he has fought so terribly for so long. In Greco-Roman mythology, the son of Laius and Jocasta unknowingly killed his father and married his mother, thus fulfilling the declarations of the divine oracle at Delphi. . Likewise, Orestes' sister helped Orestes himself avenge the death of Agamemnon, their father, by killing their mother, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus. These two still unknown mythological figures, Oedipus and Electra respectively, lent their names to modern psychology. The Oedipus and Electra complexes are characterized by perverse manifestations middle of paper ......e beats her with malice. Then, due to the stage directions, John does not seem to recognize the events of the last few minutes; “He goes to his desk and puts the papers away” (Mamet, 641). This is typical of domestic violence in that the abuser does not recognize the truth of the abuse. Right after the incident, Carol mocks and taunts her teacher, like a little child would. She declares, looking at him and moving away from him: “Yes. That's right... yes. It’s true” (Mamet, 641). This taunt is quite reminiscent of that which a miner would put forward. Works Cited Mamet, David. Oléanna. Schilb and Clifford. 612-641. Schilb, John and John Clifford, eds. Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. MartinÕs, 1999. University of Maryland at College Park pamphlet on sexual harassment. College Park. 1997.