Glass Menagerie Guilt

“The cities swept about me like dead leaves, leaves that were brightly colored but torn away from the branches. I would have stopped, but I was pursued by something. It always came upon me unawares, taking me altogether by surprise. Perhaps it was a familiar bit of music. Perhaps it was only a piece of transparent glass” (Williams 410). This statement represents Tom’s guilt for leaving Laura and his past behind in pursuit of adventure and excitement. Tom had developed an incestuous lust for his sister, and his memories of her have been chasing him ever since he had run away. The guilt and love displayed here in Williams’ The Glass Menagerie are just two of the many visible emotions that are presented throughout the play, the rest of which includes …show more content…
The Glass Menagerie an exaggerated portrait of family life. Tom scorns himself because he wants adventure and thrill, but he has a mundane job at a shoe warehouse. Tom tries to solve that by going to the movies or getting drunk. Running away is an option, but the only reason that he hasn’t done it yet is because he cherishes his family over himself. The problem that arises if Tom forsakes his family, the family cannot support themselves. In fact, Amanda and Laura solely depend on Tom to get take care of them financially. Tom, like his father, is inconsiderate. He is the only one that can support his family, yet he leaves without giving them even an iota of financial …show more content…
In fact, she is so sentimental about her past that she constantly feels that she needs to repeatedly recite to her children about her youthful days. Amanda’s yearning desire to tell her children about her blossoming days are more for herself than her children. She craves to escape into her past, when men were begging for her attention. All she has now is a daughter who is too quiet and self-conscious to benefit herself or her family in any way, a son who is constantly argues, and a husband who ran