Editing Assassins (musical) (section)

=== Idealism and optimism ===
This theme is mainly represented by Charles Guiteau. His idealism and optimism might make audience members "feel more sympathy for Guiteau than for some of the other assassins."<ref name=":03" /> Throughout the musical, Guiteau has lines and lyrics which show his idealism and optimism towards his life and the world. The quartet "The Gun Song", which Guiteau participates in, and the song "The Ballad of Guiteau" both portray him as an optimist while others are depicted as dark and not so optimistic. For example, in "The Gun Song", Guiteau "waltzes in cheerfully, holding a gun up admiringly, and declares: 'What a wonder is a gun! What a versatile invention,'" while Czolgosz just states that "[he hates] this gun."<ref name=":62" /> Guiteau's idealism is delusional, an exuberant but transparently flimsy cover for decidedly more earthly and self-interested ambition, and when his desires are thwarted, he gets angry.<ref name=":03" /> For example, he angrily shouts to Moore that "[he wants a kiss]" after Moore has already turned him down, and he assassinates President Garfield when denied the ambassadorship to France.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stephen Sondheim – "I am a terrifying and imposing figure...!"|url=https://genius.com/Stephen-sondheim-i-am-a-terrifying-and-imposing-figure-lyrics|website=Genius.com|access-date=2021-09-30}}</ref> His idealism and optimism are shown even in his execution scene (in "The Ballad of Guiteau"): he believes that "[he] shall be remembered" for assassinating President Garfield.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stephen Sondheim – The Ballad of Guiteau|url=https://genius.com/Stephen-sondheim-the-ballad-of-guiteau-lyrics|website=Genius.com|access-date=2021-09-30}}</ref>