It has taken me a few days to come
up with a solid answer for this blog post, and now that I’ve had the time to
fully process this play, I’ve realized that there is a lot more in common
between three-card monte and the Lincoln assassination then I previously
believed. Both the card game and the Lincoln arcade game heavily toy with the
idea of the manipulation of power.
When Lincoln is teaching Booth how
to properly play three-card monte, he stresses that “It may look like you got a
chance but the only time you pick right is when the man lets you.” In order to
lure unsuspecting customers into betting their money, the hustler has to let
the mark believe that he or she has a legitimate chance at winning. The same
principle applies to the Lincoln game at the arcade – no matter how many times
the “shooter” tries to murder him, the power will always lie with Lincoln. It
is up to him to decide whether or not he goes along with the act. No matter how
the variables of both games play out, the “dealer” will always come out on top
because it is the dealer’s job to ensure it.
The relationship between Lincoln and
Booth is a constant power struggle, except there is no real winner in this
case. Lincoln makes the money while Booth provides a place to live, Lincoln
holds a steady job while Booth holds a steady relationship, and the list goes
on. Each brother holds “checks” on each other to ensure that one cannot
overpower the other, but there seems to be an unspoken agreement that Lincoln
has the real command, considering Booth snaps and shouts, “Only so long I can
stand that little brother shit,” and “Think you can fuck with me, motherfucker
think again…” which just goes to show that regardless of how powerful one is
when playing a game, life is an entirely different game.
I love your emphasis on the power struggle between Link and Booth. Both characters are used to always winning at their jobs. They both control the fate and results their audience will receive. Even though it seems as though they have lost, they both hold complete control and choose to "lose". At home, however, there is no winner or loser. They both contribute to different aspects of their living arrangement and they both in turn balance each other out so that there is no winner or loser.
ReplyDeleteI like that you talked about the power play between characters in the script. Lincoln and Booth are fooling the customers into thinking their in control, and, at the same time, Lincoln and Booth are fighting over who's more powerful. I think it puts a different take on play. Instead of focusing on the games, it is instead focused on the characters and their moves to gain power.
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