The Glass Menagerie Illusions over Reality - 837 Words

Abandoned by her husband and left penniless, Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, lived in a small alley apartment on the lower middle-class section of town with her two adult children Tom and Laura, which was far cry from Amanda’s youth during the Victorian era at Blue Mountain to her present situation of poverty and uncertainty. As a single mother, Amanda was worried about her family’s financial security along with concerns about her daughter’s lack of marital prospects; for that reason, her need to enrich her life by molding the lives of her children resulted in illusions overpowering reality that also brought out destructive illusions within herself, her son Tom, and her daughter Laura. Endowed with beauty,†¦show more content†¦As the man of the house, Tom was forced to work at a warehouse that did not stimulate his intellect and was charged with finding his sister Laura a prospective husband. Amanda informed Tom that if he were to find a husband for Laura than he would be released from any family obligations; as a result, Tom invited a co-worker that Laura had known during their high school days to dinner to appease his mother and liberate himself from family responsibility in hopes an independent life. Since much of Tom’s persona and appearance reminded Amanda of the husband that left her so she continuously berated her son on a daily basis as a punishment for her husband’s abandonment. Amanda was never satisfied with her son’s lack of college education or his passion for poetry and always felt paranoid that he would one day turn out to be exactly like his father. Tom’s only escape from the constant nagging and demands was whenever he went to the movies when he imagined the freedom and adventure that was lacking in his life. He was under the illusion that all his troubles would disappear if only he left his family behind and lived a life he was used to seeing in the mo vies. He dreamt of a future void of financial responsibility to his mother and the obligation of finding a husband for his sister Laura. Laura was the sweet, innocent daughter Amanda treated as a helpless little sister because of herShow MoreRelatedConflict Between Reality and Illusion as a Major Theme of ‘the Glass Menagerie’1718 Words   |  7 PagesConflict between reality and illusion as a major theme of ‘The Glass Menagerie’ Introduction The Glass Menagerie is a dramatic play about human nature and the conflict between illusion and reality. An illusion is pretense and not reality. In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams has made use of both reality and illusion together using conflict between them. Illusion is a misinterpretation of the facts. It is an opinion based on what we think is true rather than on what is actually true. In thisRead MoreTennessee Williams and Works, a Look at Illusion vs. Reality1625 Words   |  7 PagesIllusion Vs. Reality Tennessee Williams and his works deal heavily in the contrast of illusion and reality and the characters struggle with this. Illusion vs. Reality is a major theme is mostly all of his dramatic works. The majority of these characters find themselves in a state of illusion. This was intended by Tennessee Williams to show how unavoidable and definite falling into illusion, or insanity, can be. Williams sister Rose affected him greatly when she became schizophrenic. ThisRead More Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie Essay1137 Words   |  5 PagesTennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie We all have illusions. We can hardly live without them. Most of the time they are harmless thoughts about things that are usually unattainable. An example would be when a person sees something that they want and then dreams of having it. 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The play is also hers because it isRead MoreSymbols in the Glass Menagerie1307 Words   |  6 PagesIn the play, The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, Williams uses many symbols which represent many different things.?Many of the symbols used in the play try to symbolize some form of escape or difference between reality and illusion.?The first symbol, presented in the first scene, is the fire escape.?This represents the bridge between the illusory world of the Wingfields and the world of reality.?This bridge seems to be a one way excursion.?But the direction varies for each character.Read MoreThe Glass Menagerie Symbolism Essay1424 Words   |  6 PagesImagination or Illusion Can Create Big Trouble The Glass Menagerie is a five-character memory play written by Tennessee Williams in 1945. The play is introduced to the audience by Tom, the narrator and protagonist, as a memory play based on his recollection of his mother Amanda, his sister Laura, and his friend Jim O’Connor as a gentleman caller. There is a fifth character in the play, Tom’s father who doesn’t appear except in the photograph frame. Among them one of the most interesting charactersRead MoreLiterary Analysis of The Glass Menagerie by Tenessee Williams1462 Words   |  6 PagesThe Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams had ordinary people in an ordinary life that closely resembled the influences of Williams’ personal life while having reoccurring themes and motifs throughout the story. The play has been done by many with some variations in the scripts and setting while still clinging to the basic ideas of the original play. Amanda Wingfield was a complex character that encompassed many facets of her personality. She longed to have the life she had as a girl and young