In What Ways Do You Think That The Dreams Of The Characters Are :: English Literature

In What Ways Do You Think That The Dreams Of The Characters Are Different From Reality And To What Extent Will They Be Fulfilled? The American Dream can be defined as the idea that America is the land of opportunity for everyone who is willing to work hard and persevere. It was seen as the land of freedom where everyone has a chance of "pursuit of happiness." The USA was seen as a place of equal opportunities for anyone, one of the reasons being that there was no class system like there were in Britain. Dramatic irony links in with this idea of the Wingfield family living in the middle of the American Dream. It involves us in the play but as it is a memory play, dramatic irony does not make us feel part of it. It reminds us that we are on the outside looking in and also that we live in a different time period than the one in which the play is set. We, as the audience have a great deal of insight into the play, and therefore we know that there is no real truth in the American Dream. It is just a myth because the play is set in the 1930's, which was the period of the Great Depression. The American economy had collapsed due to the Wall Street Crash, so it would have been virtually impossible for the American Dream to work for someone like Jim. Jim is Tennessee Williams' central focus point of all the characters' dreams as he is "the long delayed but always expected something" that the Wingfield family have been waiting for. He is the most significant character in the play who can be related to the American Dream. In the film version, Jim is portrayed as an ordinary man, which is disappointing for us as we find it impossible to believe that he is such a central character and that all the dreams of the Wingfields depend upon him. " Knowledge - Zzzzp! Money - Zzzzzp! - Power That's the cycle democracy is built on!" When he pitches this line to Laura, we wonder that how can a person who believes in this absurdity, be such a central character in the play if he is portrayed like this. The actor who plays Jim in the film makes him seem extremely stupid. The actor does not give the impression that Jim is very important and it does not emphasise the fact that he is such a major character, which is why I feel that the portrayal of Jim is unsuccessful. Jim strongly believes that he will be able to obtain an executive post