American Buffalo

The title of Mamet’s play, American Buffalo, is deliberately ambiguous: It could refer to people, a coin, or the animal. Though the obvious reference is to the buffalo nickel, the title may be a metaphor for the play’s characters. All are figures on society’s fringes, whose existences are threatened by poverty, drug use, crime, or exposure to police.

The American bison—the species that appears on the buffalo nickel featured in the play—once ranged throughout the American West. When European settlers used guns to kill bison—both for their hides and their meat—and Native Americans began hunting bison with horses—the species was threatened with extinction. Stories abound even of cross-country train passengers shooting bison for sport. Though the present-day bison population has rebounded, the buffalo still represents an animal that exists on the margins of society. It is an apt symbol for three men whose existence depends on covert and illegal business. 

Mamet’s stage directions tell us that the setting is “Don’s Resale Shop,” or “junkshop” (30). This venue serves as the backdrop for both the first and second acts. Mamet’s direction permits a fair amount of creative license to directors and producers. Since “junk” is hardly explicit, the director can choose to decorate the stage by whatever means most conducive to the desired ambience.