American Century Character Analysis

In the play American Century by Murphy Guyer, we find a woman waiting on her husband Tom to return from war. Upon his return while they’re reuniting, they are interrupted by a stranger, Tommy, who claims to be their son. Although at first Tom doesn’t believe him and thinks it’s a scam, the woman name Margaret knew the entire time because of motherly instincts. He goes on to tell them about the future and how he got back by taking drugs because he is a schizophrenic. He then continues to describe how the other children had turned out. His therapist wanted for him to revisit the time of his conception thinking maybe that would help him be able to solve his problems. This resulted in him appearing at the house. While there he informs his parents …show more content…
He simply is trying to get help with his problems and revisits the past. Without him we would not have been able to see the future plans of the family blow up in their face. We care about him because he has all the answers to what has happened in the future and interrupts what’s going on in the present. However, to his parents he may have been seen as the antagonist because he ruins the plans they have for a bright future by telling them the reality of what really happens. Although he seems not to have as much of a bond with his dad, he seems to really love his mom and even says, “I’m the one who was always there for you. I’m the one you always confided in.” When looking from Margaret’s point of view she is the protagonist. A wife happy about her husbands’ return from war, and excited about finally starting a family. She protects Tommy from Tom, and even kicks right in being motherly making him eat all of his food before dessert. Tom would see himself as the protagonist, a war hero who has come home to his wife, gotten a job, plenty of money, and a new house for them to start a family in. He sees Tom as an intruder who needs to get out of his house and his first line of action to protect his wife by of pulling out his gun. Through his doubts about who Tom is saying he is, Tom asks questions that help move the story along making Tommy reveal more and more about the future.
Diction is used to help make the characters become their own. As I was reading I could find myself taking on different ways of speaking as the characters became more and more familiar. You could picture Margaret crying and speaking to her husband then speaking motherly to Tom. You could also imagine Tom’s anger as he yelled and cursed at Tommy telling him to get out. You also just imagine the disbelief through his tone of