Preview

Escaping In The Glass Menagerie

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
473 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Escaping In The Glass Menagerie
Escaping is the way people protect themselves from the impotence they face. When there are so many complain, pressure, people want to hide somewhere to find a little peace, energy to return and face their own reality. In Tennessee William’s play The Glass Menagerie, each member of Wingfield family refuse to accepting their realities by set themselves in the fantasy world that they had created to avoid the reality. Sadly, no matter how hard they try to escape, in the end, they still had to face the cruel, brutal world they had try to escape in a long time.
In The Glass Menagerie, Amanda escape the reality by went into the world of memories and dream. She refused to accept the way things are and constant on seeing what she wanted to see. When …show more content…
All of these things are opposite to his mother’s world. But Tom's conflict was between his world and the realistic. He was realistic enough to recognize Laura’s problem. “Laura seems all those things to you and me because she’s ours and we love her. We don’t even notice she’s cripple any more” (47). He knew that Amanda’s dream about gentlemen callers is impossible. He understand that there are no future for him in the warehouse. And yet he always turn aways whenever he had to face it. For a long time, Tom had sought escape from the reality by went to the movie every night and drinking. Tom was forced to choose to leave his mother and sister or to trap by the world of illusion and dreams.
The helpless escape seems to be unsuccessful as well. Even if you run, you can not hide from life. Even if you are hiding, you can not hide yourself. And there is no more radical solution than courage to face the difficulties and obsessions. Tom and Amanda are lives between a world of illusion and a world of reality. They realize and understand what happened around them. But rather than accept it, they choose to run away. In the end, Amanda and Tom will be forced to accept the reality and it will not happened in a happy
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Tom Brennan Quotes Analysis
    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Tom Brennan Quotes Analysis

    During this dark period Tom does not change, or mature. Tom’s Father orders Tom to make a change to his life and encourages him to take the path towards a positive future and to move on from the past into the future. Tom’s isolation from the world is captured negatively through the use of…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tom Brennan the Prologue
    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Tom Brennan the Prologue

    Toms involvement and transition into a new world, is heavily emphasized in the concluding pages of chapter five. JC Bourke approaches this aspect of the story with a continuation of a non-linear approach with very effective use of flashbacks, juxtaposition of imagery, irony and Tom’s self-realization of his world…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tom brennan
    • 1056 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Tom brennan

    Tom’s life is changed drastically when the car crashes. He has dug too deep into what he refers to as the ‘black hole’ and he loses the will to live: “Trying to shut down the bad thoughts that always surfaced and suffocated any hope I had of getting my life back.” (pg.15). He tries to get better by starting running as a way of releasing his stress and worry. Someone who was essential for Tom to move on was Daniel his brother: “‘Do you hate me, Tommy?’…. ‘Daniel.’ I swallowed. ‘You’re my brother.’(pg.141) Although Daniel has done such a horrible thing Tom is not willing to give up on his brother. Another character that helps Tom conquer his past is his Uncle Brendan. Brendan really gets Tom to open up and see the world from another point of view; this causes Tom to start talking: “You were hardly ‘Mr Have-a-Chat’ when you arrived. Now I can’t shut you up.” (pg198) He moved on from his past and found happiness in himself and his life again. He finds himself through his girlfriend Chrissy because when he’s with her all he is, is himself: “When I was with Chrissy I was me again. Simple Tom Brennan - no ties, no debt, no guilt, no bad thoughts. Just me, the way I had always known myself.” (pg.261). Although the road to happiness was hard for Tom, his desire to…

    • 1056 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Tom Brennan - into the world
    • 1648 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Tom Brennan - into the world

    Tom Brennan is a teenager who's life is about rugby, mates and family. This is until a night of celebration changes his life forever. Toms world explodes and his brother Daniel has been sent to jail, this forces the Brennan's to move towns causing them to be thrust out into the world. The Brennan family are severely shocked, upset, disappointed and saddened by the tragedy that has fallen upon this family. This is especially true for Tom and his sister, Kylie. Tom is struggling with the move from Mumbilli to Coghill, he is overwhelmed with grief and sadness, this is seen in chapter one, “In fact all of me was stuck, stuck in a place I didn't want to be...” The repetition of the word ‘stuck’ clearly highlights Tom’s immobility and his depression. He has been propelled into the world and cannot escape the reality of Daniel's actions, which is what caused the Brennan's to move to Coghill. Due to Daniels actions, Tom no longer feels like himself anymore. “Things just weren't that simple anymore.” Toms realizes that life is now vastly different than it was a few weeks ago, Tom now must have to learn and cope with the new challenges.…

    • 1648 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tom Brennan
    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Tom Brennan

    Brendan help Tom make the transition from the darkness of his past to the light of his future. Brendan provides an escape for Tom, running with him, giving all he has to make Tom look forward to things. Running made Tom fit, which helped his self-confidence and his rugby fitness. Providing him a trip to Nepal , something he can look forward to, giving Tom someone to talk to. It all helped so much, assisted Tom keeps his head on the light side and out of the darkness. “ It was peaceful”, was Tom’s look on the waterhole Brendan took him to. Tom is moving no from darkness to light, as he is starting to see the beauty in things again.…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Tom Brennan
    • 1671 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Tom Brennan

    To an extent Burke also cleverly depicts the concept of misconceptions by introducing Tom as a mentally frail individual who is unable to overcome his brother’s “f*** ups.”” I curled myself into a little ball, hid my head under my knees and let the darkness suck me into its belly.” Through the use of personification, Tom’s isolation from rest of the world is captured negatively evoking empathy from the audience. It is not until later in the novel that Tom’s story is revealed and he is referred to as “a strong individual who is not afraid to hide his past.” Thus, by Tom building a greater understanding of his new world, his experience has challenged his attitudes and beliefs. Also, Tom’s relationship with his family was a major turning point within the novel. Tom builds a greater relationship with his grandmother, Daniel, his dad, Brendan and Kylie ultimately allowing him to build a greater relationship with himself. Tom’s shift in attitude has allowed him to progress into the world and ultimately challenged his current…

    • 1671 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Glass Menagerie Escape Analysis
    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Glass Menagerie Escape Analysis

    In the Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams there is a since of fantasy and escape among the characters. They all live in there own type of world. Tom Wingfield, our narrator’s sister Laura is in a crippled world of her own. She lives in a world where it consist of phonography records and her favorite glass animals, she lives in a world of confinement and dependency. Amanda Wingfield, Tom’s mother lives in a world of the past, she feels trapped by the life she was given. She did not choose to be left with her two children alone not being able to enjoy life. She escapes to her world of her gentlemen callers to forget about it all. Tom Wingfiled lives in a world of movies and writing, but among all these characters, there is one character who has managed to escape the desperate and…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tenessee Williams: the Glass Menagerie
    • 1551 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Tenessee Williams: the Glass Menagerie

    The major dramatic question in the play is the one that Tom is faced with regarding whether or not he should leave his family that needs him to pursue his own dreams. He is afraid of following is father’s footsteps of abandonment but at the same time can no longer survive with the constant nagging of his mother and the world disillusion that his sister and mother live in. The dramatic question is solved when Tom tells his friend from work to come over for dinner because his mother asked him to. His mother’s intention was for Tom to bring home a friend for her daughter in hopes that she might find love and want to eventually get married. We later find out that the friend is engaged to be married and leads to a final confrontation between Tom and his mother. We also find out before the fiasco with the gentleman caller that Tom has not paid the bills for a while and will be leaving his family soon. When the final…

    • 1551 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Contents of a Dead Man's Pocket
    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Contents of a Dead Man's Pocket

    Tom’s inner conflicts force him to take a second look at his priorities. For example, when Tom’s wife leaves for the movies, he says “Are you sure you don’t mind going alone?” (pg. 15)This shows that he feels guilty about putting his wife second to his career. This also shows that he is having second thoughts about staying at home and working. In addition, when Tom decides it is worth going out on the ledge of his apartment building to retrieve the yellow paper, he struggles with his inner self: he could fell the terrible strength of the pent-up horror on just the other side of the flimsy barrier he had erected in his mind…(pg. 21)This shows that if Tom is able to keep his panic under control, he can reach his apartment easily. This also shows that Tom must calm down and think clearly and rationally if he wants to see his wife again.. By taking a chance to retrieve the paper from the ledge , Tom is beginning to be aware of much-needed change in his priorities.…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Glass Menagerie Character Analysis
    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Glass Menagerie Character Analysis

    The Glass Menagerie is a wonderful autobiographical play written by Tennessee Williams. The play is placed in the 1930s in St. Louis. The play is a memory from Tennessee Williams; he explains that since its from memory there may be some unreliable information given. Throughout the story there is several uses of symbolism, including the glass menagerie, the Wingfield’s fire escape, and pleurosis.…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Family In The Glass Menagerie
    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Family In The Glass Menagerie

    While reading the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, the reader quickly learns of a, sadly, typical tale of family strife. In this play a family struggles to find the way out of their secluded, seemingly solitary life. Amanda Wingfield, the mother of Tom and Laura, only craves for the best for her kids. However, this ostensibly adoring mother puts Toms needs at the bottom of list. As a family without a father figure Tom, being the only boy, steps up to help his mother and sister. Striving to live up to his father’s memory, Tom helps by paying for the rent while putting his personal goals on hold. The Wingfield family goes through much trouble and strife portraying the sad truth of what goes on in the everyday family and home.…

    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On The Glass Menagerie
    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Essay On The Glass Menagerie

    Dissatisfied, Tom wishes to escape from his lifestyle and enter the poetry business and move forward from there. He wants to peruse a life where his family are not in the picture, he feels as if they are shattering his dreams. Ultimately, Tom wants to escape his reality, become a writer and leave his own family behind "Oh, I can see the handwriting on the wall as plain as I can see the nose in front of my face! It's terrifying! More and more you remind me of your father! He was out all hours without explanation!-Then left! Goodbye! And me with the bag to hold. I saw that letter you got from the Merchant Marine. I know what you're dreaming of. I'm not standing here blindfolded. Very well, then. Then do it! But not till there's somebody to take your place." (Williams, 91) At The end of the story, Tom leaves his family, abandoning Amanda and Laura to pursue an independent future. Tom is not living out the American dream because all that he does for his family he does not feel good about it, expressing the amount of virtue he lacks. The fact that he abandoned his own families emphasizes the point that he is not an ideal citizen because he is not a virtuous person who is seeking moral…

    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tennessee Williams Broken Dreams
    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Tennessee Williams Broken Dreams

    According to Tom memory, he states “There is a fifth character in the play who doesn’t appear except in this larger-than-life photograph over the mantel. This is our father who left us a long time ago” (925). Established from the opening, Tom proceeds into his memory creating a narrative in which he is depressed by because at the end, he too will leave his family. Wanting to have a bit of adventure, Tom leaves Saint Louis during a time when his family depended on him the most just like how his father left leaving only a picture above the mantel and the memories from each of the characters. “I descended the steps of this fire escape for a last time and followed, from then on, in my father’s footsteps, attempting to find in motion what was lost in space - I traveled around a great deal” (975). In this soliloquy, Tom explains he is aware of being compared to his father and he should not receive any sympathy for his father leaving him because he does the same to his dependent family.…

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tom Brenna Speech
    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Tom Brenna Speech

    Throughout the book ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’, each character deals with the tragedy in many different ways. Tom becomes depressed and begins to blame himself, he rejects that Dan, his older brother, has committed a crime and is sent to jail, ‘didn’t they realise we weren’t like everyone else here?’ (Page 134). Kylie, Tom’s younger sister, become rebellious and felt that everyone in their new town, Coghill, would have found out their secret eventually and it wasn’t fair to keep it hidden. ‘That was the thing about my sister, she’d become tough, like I didn’t know her anymore.’ (Page 29). ‘In many ways she’d released me, pushing me into my own fear.’ (Page 190). ‘In some ways, part of me almost admired her guts’ (Page 185). Tess, Tom’s mum, is affected by it the most; she refuses to accept that it’s happened and feels that her son has been ripped away from her. ‘“Well Tess,’ Kath started, “I’m sorry about that, but my son can’t even turn his neck to see his back.”’ (Page 155). She begins to live in denial and won’t talk about it. ‘Come on girlie, don’t be so self indulgent. Life goes on.’ (Page 4). Daniel becomes depressed and realises the consequences of his actions. “He’d been absolutely ripped to shreds. He didn’t sleep, eat, hardly spoke, never smiled. The only thing he did was cry. He cried buckets.” (Page 121).…

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    English
    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages

    English

    Tom struggles to move into the world because of emotional barriers that are stopping him from growing resilience from the force of leaving behind his old and familiar world, into a world he is unable to feel comfortable. Tom slowly escalates towards hope of growing into his new surroundings with help from his family and friends that encourage and support him through the hardship.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics