... The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams revolves around the flaws of each of the Wingfields: Amanda Wingfield, a woman of a very confusing nature; Laura Wingfield, one who is partially crippled and lets that make her extremely self conscious; and Tom Wingfield, one who is seen as selfish, and feels trapped and is looking for a ... way out. Williams" characters are all lost in a dreamy state of illusion or escape wishing for something that they don't have. The mother, Amanda Wingfield, was at one time the pick of the crop during her grandeur days of the Old South, but now she is weak an...

• Word Count: 551
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... was written and first performed in 1944. In the play, Williams describes the three members on the Wingfield family, their dreams, and the harsh realities they face in the society of the 1930s. The mother, Amanda, clings to her past life as a Southern debutant and hopes desperately that her daughter, Laura, ... will follow in her footsteps. Tom Wingfield, the narrator and Amanda's son, dreams of breaking free from the mundane, simple life he is forced to lead once his father has ... abandoned the family. Williams is able to incorporate elements such as setting, symbolism, and conflict to...

• Word Count: 559
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... a large picture hanging in the living room. Each character in The Glass Menagerie has a need to escape from he or she's life. Tom Wingfield, a main character and the narrator, openly shows the reader his need to escape. The realities of his life consist of working in a warehouse, ... Amanda always speaks about the past saying things like, "Among all my callers were some of the most prominent young planters of the Mississippi Delta - planters and sons of planters!"(Williams, 1103) The man she loves, that's why his picture still hangs, abandoned her. The fact that the picture of Mr. Wingfi...

• Word Count: 1336
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... avoid reality. Through symbolism, William is able to emphasize how one will create an escape to avoid facing reality. In The Glass Menagerie, Tom Wingfield is unhappy with his life as his primary role is to work and provide for his family. Tom creates many escapes to avoid the reality of ... his escape. Lastly, Williams uses alcohol as a symbol of escaping reality. Tom also often gets drunk to escape his complications. This is noticeable when Amanda says "you had been drinking the night you were in that - terrifying condition! Laura says that you hate the apartment and that you go out ....

• Word Count: 1274
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... over crowded urban centers of lower middle-class population" (1267). Tom envies his father who actually had the guts to walk out. Tom expresses this when he tells Amanda, " Mother, I"d be where [the father] is!" (1277). Tom wants to leave so desperately that he " paid [his Merchant Marine] dues this month, ... for yet another escape from the reality of working at a job he hates. Tom also loathes his mother in some way. This is most evident when Tom calls Amanda an " ugly -babbling old- witch- (1278). When Tom does finally escape his realities they continue to haunt him. Every time Tom s...

• Word Count: 911
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School