In reading this book, I initially struggled with the question of how directly it related to classroom material. It almost seems as if the book is written as a long poem. As I was writing my review, I began to notice similarities between the characters in the book and the overall theme of optimism that I had outlined in my article. The first fifteen chapters describe a single day where we get to know the characters. In this section of the book, we meet Will and Jim, two 13-year-old boys. Jim is the more adventurous of the two boys and will be more reserved. It seems that he always follows Jim from a distance, but in any case, Jim can persuade him to do almost anything. We also find Charles Halloway in this first part of the novel. He is Will's father and works at the municipal library. In this first part of the novel, I can understand the attitudes that were present in America after World War I. Jim represents America's blind optimism about creating in a utopia. Jim was one of many Wall Street speculators who believed that rising stock prices had no end. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Will may be linked to the more reserved side of America, he is just as ambitious but. Like I said, he follows Jim from a distance. He lets Jim make mistakes but is always there to help him. Will plays a role similar to that of the presidents of the early 1920s. He does not overly regulate Jim but is always there to support him. Will's father, Charles Halloway, is the lessons we don't learn from history. His attitude in the first part of the novel is that of sadness. There's a sense that he knows how the world really works and despite this, he's still secretly intrigued by the arrival of the carnival. This is where Will takes on his reserved side, like how presidents are always students of history. Will learns from his father's mistakes. When the carnival finally comes to town, members of the community such as the boys' teacher Miss Foley, Mr. Cougar, and the lightning rod salesman are all attracted and seduced by the carnival and the tattooed man who runs it. Mr. Dark has the ability to fulfill their desires, but as a result, these people will get lost in the carnival. This is similar to the theme of selling your sole to the devil. The role Mr. Dark plays in our history books is that of money. Members of the community are so blinded by the spectacle of the carnival (the stock market in 1921-1928) that they see only an optimistic future. Jim is one of those people attracted to carnival. He also follows blindly. As the evil nature of the carnival is revealed, it can be linked to the stock market crash of 1929. Because people are too optimistic, they face negative consequences. Towards the end of the novel, as Will and his father attempt to save Jim and put an end to the carnival, they play a role similar to that of Presidents Hoover and FDR, who attempt to restore America through their economic and social plans after the crash of 1929. At the end of the novel, Jim (the optimism of the American people) ends up confused and close to death. Will and Charles Halloway save Jim by dancing and laughing. Jim's rebirth symbolizes the country's return to normalcy thanks to the industry that occurred during World War II. This brings us to the present day where the people of Green Town and the people of modern America still have the same chances of making mistakes or..