In the chapter “Casablanca and the Paradoxical Truth of Stereotyping: Rick and the American Character”, James F. Pontuso examines the racial, ethnic, and gender stereotypes in the film. Most evident are the stereotypical French, German, Czech, and American figures that are meant to represent the sentiment of his or hers respective country. In discussing the depiction of the quintessential American character, Pontuso looks no further than Rick Blaine. He argues that there are two sides of Rick: the early, self-centered Rick who only cares about himself and the later idealistic Rick who sacrifices personal happiness for the sake of his commitment to a greater good. Each Rick, according to Pontuso, is a symbol of one aspect of the American character. Despite Rick’s semblance to an ideal American, he also has a universal perspective to his character; his identity is not constructed by an attachment to a particular place, but rather to a set of ideals that he believes are common to all humanity. This adds to the ambiguity of Rick’s character. Pontuso sights a scene when Strasser asks Rick what his nationality is and Rick answers, “I’m a drunkard.” Renault then adds, “That makes Rick a citizen of the world.” While it is clear that Rick represents the archetypal American figure, he tries hard to maintain his ambiguity throughout the film.
    At the end of Casablanca, Rick does what any American would do in the face of war: he protects his ideals. Pontuso explains that in a peaceful time Americans exercise their rights by pursuing their individual interests, but when the rights that protect their interests are jeopardized, Americans act determinedly to protect their ideals. Rick realizes that the chances for true love are not promising during such a perilous time, so he chooses to take action. Pontuso quotes a statement by the Bureau of Motion Pictures during WWII, “Casablanca shows that personal desires must be subordinated to the task of defeating fascism.” Pontuso gives us enough reason to believe that the American character and Rick Blaine are one in the same. By portraying a character that epitomizes the supreme American, both in disposition and action, Rick hands American political ideals to viewers on a silver platter.