... the harsh the problems in their lives. Their efforts to escape don't remove their problems. They only distract them from them. Tom, Amanda, Laura and Jim have all tried to separate themselves from the turmoil in their lives by creating fantasy to help them escape reality. Tom realizes that he has nothing. He ... home with his nagging, paranoid mother and his crippled sister. His father abandoned the entire family and Tom has no hopes of him returning. This leaves the burden breadwinner on Toms" shoulders. Tom tries to escape reality by going to the movie theaters nearly every night. He u...

• Word Count: 1047
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... to Eric P. Levy: Each character is hampered in relating to others by the need to inhabit a private world where the fundamental concern is with self-image. Some characters (Amanda and Jim) use others as mirrors to reflect the self-image with which they themselves wish to identify. Other characters (Laura and Tom) fear that through relation to others they will be ... is full of contradiction. On one hand, he is not interested in his job. On the other hand, he has the dream of being a writer. As a result, he feels a tremendous burden from having to support his mother and sister. He is torn...

• Word Count: 3081
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... symbolism used is the fire escape. Tom uses the fire escape frequently throughout the play to escape his responsibilities and to enter a deceptive realm where he is free of this burden. An example of this can be seen when, in Scene One, the family is having dinner and Amanda is criticizing the way Tom is eating. Tom gets frustrated and decides ... 't suit her age because she is unable to accept the fact that the clothes she used to wear belong in the past. Amanda wears a dress from her youth to impress Jim. The way she is dressed is described in detail followed by Williams writing "the l...

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