Illusions are people’s versions of reality and truth, and their perception and how they want to see it. In literature, most characters create their own versions of reality and illusion. In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams uses Tom, Amanda, and Laura’s private illusory worlds to elucidate their internal and external struggles in dealing with the truth and harshness of their reality.
Tom’s dreams of becoming a writer as well as his diurnal outings to the movies make his reality that much harder to accept, reflecting his internal struggles. Tom is absolutely exhausted, constantly working to support his family. He finally snaps at his mother and goes on a wild diatribe when Amanda interrupts his writing. According to the description, …show more content…
The quarrel was probably precipitated by Amanda's interruption of his creative labor. A chair lying overthrown on the floor. Their gesticulating shadows are cast on the ceiling by the fiery glow…” (759). Tom and Amanda are fighting about Tom not focusing on supporting them because he is always writing or going to the movies. Amanda does not believe that that is where he goes. Tom wants to get out of the coffin he has nailed himself in--his job--without removing the nails--disrupting and ruining Laura and Amanda's lives. All Tom wants to do is write, and he is struggling to decide what he should do, whether he should give up his dream or whether he should leave and abandon his family. Tom’s other escape from his harsh reality is the movies. He goes every night to explore what is new in the cinema. When arguing with his mother, he justifies himself by saying, “I go to the movies because--I like adventure. Adventure is something I don’t have much of at work, so I go to the movies” (763). It is clear that Tom uses the movies to escape from reality. He yearns for adventure, which he cannot get at the shoe factory. Instead, he uses the movies as a poor substitute. He quickly tires of going to the movies because it just makes
Tom’s dreams of becoming a writer as well as his diurnal outings to the movies make his reality that much harder to accept, reflecting his internal struggles. Tom is absolutely exhausted, constantly working to support his family. He finally snaps at his mother and goes on a wild diatribe when Amanda interrupts his writing. According to the description, …show more content…
The quarrel was probably precipitated by Amanda's interruption of his creative labor. A chair lying overthrown on the floor. Their gesticulating shadows are cast on the ceiling by the fiery glow…” (759). Tom and Amanda are fighting about Tom not focusing on supporting them because he is always writing or going to the movies. Amanda does not believe that that is where he goes. Tom wants to get out of the coffin he has nailed himself in--his job--without removing the nails--disrupting and ruining Laura and Amanda's lives. All Tom wants to do is write, and he is struggling to decide what he should do, whether he should give up his dream or whether he should leave and abandon his family. Tom’s other escape from his harsh reality is the movies. He goes every night to explore what is new in the cinema. When arguing with his mother, he justifies himself by saying, “I go to the movies because--I like adventure. Adventure is something I don’t have much of at work, so I go to the movies” (763). It is clear that Tom uses the movies to escape from reality. He yearns for adventure, which he cannot get at the shoe factory. Instead, he uses the movies as a poor substitute. He quickly tires of going to the movies because it just makes