In American storytelling, being optimistic overcomes being a failure. In fact, you haven't failed if you still have hope.
Homer Simpson is an idiot, but he doesn't give up. That's endearing enough to hold the protagonist roll.
Homer Simpson is an idiot, but he doesn't give up. That's endearing enough to hold the protagonist roll.
To dig the English comedy you need to accept that you are or the protagonist is a failure. Your or their life will never significantly improve and they made peace with it. You covet and enjoy small moments of happiness. Happiness is not the winning big but returning home.
A hypothetical english person might feel trapped by their class and station and "win" by accepting it but the american character always has a chance to rise
That is another aspect of humor that Brits and Americans share, but also do very differently.
In very broad strokes, Quixote says my perceptions and ideals are true and apparent evidence to the contrary must be a misunderstanding/ chance/ magic. His agency is to frame the world’s meaning in his own terms. Until finally he gives it up.
Candide accepts societal moral framings (i.e. rationalizations for wrongdoing) naively, but is slowly worn down by the evidence that they’re a sham. But in facing the seemingly intractable harshness of reality, he doesn’t become so cynical as to cede his own agency entirely—“Il faut cultiver notre jardin.”
To me that feels like a wiser response than absurdity or despondency.