Essay on Illusions of Escape in The Glass Menagerie

Illusions of Escape in The Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams play The Glass Menagerie gives readers a look into a truly dysfunctional family. At first it could seem as if their lives are anything but normal, but Amandas impulse to preserve her single-parent family seems as familiar as the morning newspaper (Presley 53). The Wingfields are a typical family just struggling to get by. Their problems, however, stem from their inability to effectively communicate with each other. Instead of talking out their differences, they resort to desperate acts. The desperation that the Wingfields embrace has led them to create illusions in their minds and in turn become deceptive. Amanda, Tom, and Laura are caught up in a web of†¦show more content†¦When he finally does come home, Tom is stumbling and muttering to [himself] like a maniac (Williams 703). Amanda desperately fears that he is beginning to take after his fathers ways. She is caring for a fragile menagerie composed of two children (Presley 24). The desperation of her situation leads her to become controlling, and she takes this control to the extreme. Amanda constantly bombards Tom with commands in almost every scene. She begins her direction by reminding Tom how to eat properly. First he is pushing the food wrong and then he is chewing improperly. After they manage to finish supper, she then criticizes him for smoking. Things continue on like this throughout the entire play. She decides to return his books to the library because she believes that they are filth. Tom cannot do anything right in the eyes of his mother. She even tells him how to comb his hair. Amanda also directs her daughter. She sends Laura to Business College and then decides to find her a man. Amanda tries to decide all of the directions in which Lauras life turns. Because of her desperation for her children to succeed, Amanda turns into a dictator. She manipulates her childrens lives through an almost constant barrage of criticism and guilt (Jolemore). Amandas desperation leads her to deny reality. This coping strategy is called a defense mechanism. Ego-defense mechanisms are defined asShow MoreRelated Essay on the Illusion of Escape in The Glass Menagerie1083 Words   |  5 PagesThe Illusion of Escape in The Glass Menagerie       In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, the characters exhibit a state of delusion that originates from their dissatisfaction with their lives. Tom seeks adventure in the movies. Amanda reminisces often about her days as a Southern Belle. Laura sits in a dream world with her glass collection, and Jim basks in the praises of his high school glory. In their respective ways, they demonstrate their restlessness. The quotation from ThoreauRead MoreIllusion Vs. 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This assessment of Tennessee Williams plays proves true when one looks closely at the characters of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire and Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie. Their lives run closely parallel to one anotherRead MoreSymbolism In The Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams858 Words   |  4 Pagesaffected his work especially in The Glass Menagerie. Williams’s homosexuality made him be seen as an outcast in American society. Not to mention that homosexuality was not as widely accepted as it is today. The writing style of Williams creates a unique and great story. Tennessee Williams utilizes symbolism to express his themes throughout The Glass Menagerie. There are many events in Tennessee Williams’s early life that is similar to the details in The Glass Menagerie. 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Williams uses the fire escape as a way for the Wingfields, the protagonists of the play, to escape their real life and live an illusionaryRead 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 es cape 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 MoreEssay about Analysis of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams605 Words   |  3 Pages The Glass Menagerie is one of Tennessee Williams most famous play. A sort of autobiographical play that closely resembles Williams’s life before stardom. The play occurs during the 1930’s before world war two, in an apartment in St. Louis. Where the three main characters reside and confront on a quotidian basis. Moreover, as well in which they live in their world of illusion. Illusion and reality is practically what the play revolves around. The characters Tom, his sister Laura and mother