The Glass Tower Quotes

The outcomes of being untrue are always the same. In “The Glass Tower” by Reinaldo Arenas, Alfredo, the main character, escapes his native country and currently lives in Miami. Tirelessly he goes to endless parties in his honor while being unable to write a story involving characters that beg him to write them down. Alfredo attends a big party where his characters, floating in his head, appear to come alive and do as they please. Alfredo’s identity is lacking and ungenuine due to his struggle to express his thoughts, his financial instability, and his social expectations.

The Lacking and ungenuine life that Alfredo has is first because of his struggle to express himself. In the story, Alfredo has been struggling because he “had been carrying around” a story “ in his head for years, and whose characters, Berta,Nicolas,Delfin,Daniel,and Olga,constantly vied for his attention”(2). Alfredo is struggling to get his thoughts …show more content…
Alfredo goes to parties because he doesn’t “have a penny to his name” and feels that they “could give him a tremendous financial boost, as well as help to promote” his works (8). Since he is trying to find somewhere to get an income, he goes to the parties because that is a chance for him to get money. Going to these parties hinders him to to be true to himself and write which is what he actually wants. Also, he is “always keeping in mind the solid publishing project that would perhaps one day allow him to own a mansion like this” (10). Alfredo’s thoughts are that going to these parties will help him get a mansion and a better life, but nevertheless it is a reason of why he is being so ungenuine to himself because it distracts Alfredo from what he actually wants. Overall, the financial instability that is in Alfredo’s life forces his identity to be false and lacking what he actually needs which is time to write about his inner