Archetypes and Specific Characters in 'Sweet Bird of Youth' Anonymous 12th Grade

As a ‘psychological’ dramatist, Tennessee Williams uses Carl Jung’s archetypes of “collective unconsciousness” that mankind possesses to deliver powerful messages. As such, most of his popular plays - including ‘Sweet Bird of Youth’- all encompass archetypes conveying an unrelenting exploration of the dark underbelly of human experience, exposing human weaknesses and brutalities. However, we cannot deny the fact that each of his characters is unique as individuals. Sweet Bird of youth is no exception whereby the characters are archetypes as much as we are specific individuals.

One of the most blatant archetypes in the play is chance Wayne. He is the archetypal romantic hero. In fact, Tennessee Williams made use of this character to showcase the cynical and brutal world of success: what chasing the American dream really meant? Chance is designed to be a ‘romantic hero’. He rejected social conventions by ‘leaving his hometown’ St Cloud and is even rejected by society. This is expressed by how he is treated throughout the play as ‘a criminal degenerate’. Indeed, even his past friends Bud and Scotty render him is a social pariah. One noteworthy example is the scene where Chance urged them to sing; however, ‘in the old days they did...