Tennessee Williams †The Glass Menagerie †Jim as a...

Tennessee Williams – The Glass Menagerie Jim as a Representative of the American Dream and the Ideology of Optimism and Progressivism â€Å"He is the most realistic character in the play, being an emissary from a world of reality that we were somehow set apart from. . . . he is the long-delayed but always expected something that we live for.† (Williams 5) – Jims first introduction by Tom as a narrator is a crucial one, as it points to the ambiguity of Jims character. For the Wingfield family the young gentleman caller seems to be the symbolization of the American Dream and a way to overcome their own incapacities. But considering the external circumstances during the early decades of the 20th century and the further†¦show more content†¦And Gerald Weales comment on Jim being â€Å"dead wrong† (103) is legitimate as well, because it hints to Jims naà ¯vety that is demonstrated when he euphemistically claims that Americas future will be â€Å". . . even more wonderful than the present time is!† (Williams 72). As mentioned, the 1930s were far from â€Å"wonderful† and some people even tended to create their own illusionary universe, safely set in the past – like Amanda Wingfield. While Jims eyes are directed towards the future, Amanda is stuck in her obsolete past. Her American Dream is the traditional one; she always wanted to embody the image of the Southern Belle. But in the attempt to fulfill her Dream, which for a woman meant to live in a happy marriage with a wealthy husband, she has failed – Toms and Lauras father has left the family long time ago. What is left for Amanda is the memory of her youth in Blue Mountain where she had not only received seventeen gentlemen callers on a single day but also missed the opportunity to marry the later vice president or a very rich stockbroker – her opportunity of success. Concentrating on the bygone times Amanda has also missed the general change of values, as Williams already hints in the first descriptions about the characters of his play: â€Å"A little woman . . . clinging frantically to another time and place† (Williams xviii). Only slowly she realizes that the world outside forces her t o care for her children, so she starts selling