Egoism In The Glass Menagerie

In the final instants of The Glass Menagerie, Tom leaves his mother, Amanda, then his sister, Laura, for a new lifetime. The cause for his departure is Amanda's continuous criticism of his egoism. In truth, Tom feels unrewarding and wicked. He works hard to support his little family, but his efforts often go unrecognized by Amanda. Tom desires for a measure of freedom and harbors a sense of hopelessness concerning his life.
The atmosphere at home is made extremely tough by Amanda's dominant nature. She harasses Tom about his smoking habits. For his portion, Tom feels restricted by his mother's demeaning and critical attitudes; he works long hours at a dead-end factory job to maintenance all of them and consequently far, she still criticizes him for being self-seeking also careless. Tom points out that, if "self" was the most significant thing to him, he would have left a long time ago just like his father did.
Ironically, because of Amanda's conduct, this is what Tom ends up doing in the end. After an unsuccessful, final attempt to please Amanda, Tom decides that he's had enough. His departure is advanced by Jim's visit. When Tom invites home one of the gentleman visitors Laura will likely get in her lifetime, he reflects that he has finally done something right. …show more content…
This time, Tom leaves for good. At the end of his speech, he pleads Laura to blow out her candles; he can no longer tolerate the sweet memories of his sister. They infuse him with the blame and pain. Laura starts burning candles represent an innocence that can be easily manipulated. Amanda overwhelms her daughter's spirit by holding her hostage in a cruel imaginary world of overstated behaviors and faux stylishness. Basically, Amanda signifies a stifling effect in Laura's life. The candles also characterize Laura's hopes, ones which are extinguished when she realizes that Jim is engaged to