Character Analysis Of Amanda In The Glass Menagerie

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The Glass Menagerie is one of Tennessee Williams most famous and successful works. In his play Williams uses a series of characters and symbols to show people and moments in his own life. The mother figure in the Glass Menagerie Amanda is an example. As you read the play you will see how Amanda represents the stress, strictness, and the self-centered nature off Williams mother and father. Amanda is the mother figure of Tom and Laura in The Glass Menagerie. Tom works at a warehouse and provides income so the family doesn’t lose their apartment. Laura is going to Rubicam Business College to master typing. Amanda insisted hoping that this would lead to Laura wooing a Gentlemen caller. Time passes until Amanda learns that Laura stopped going …show more content…
Amanda tries as though she was the center of the universe to every guy she didn’t marry “gracious you talk as though all of my admirers had turned up their toes to the daises!” (Menagerie, 9) and that she should be treated like that by everyone. She believes that since she’s an old single house wife she must be taken care of by her children. This is shown on how she how she hopes to get her daughter Laura married of to someone with wealth. Amanda is so set on this dream for Laura that she forgets about her issues when gets Tom to invite a gentlemen caller. Laura is so freaked out by this encounter that she gets sick right as the caller comes in. Even worse when she finally warms up to him Laura must deal with the fact that he has a fiancée. Amanda also described belittling her son Tom for not going to college even though they didn’t have the wealth to send Tom off to college. They could barley afford to send Laura to a community college and even then, she didn’t want to go. When Tom brings his income in to pay for the apartment Amanda acts as though it should be expected off him. Tom expresses his distress “Look! -I’ve got not thing, no single thing in my life that I can call my OWN!” (Menagerie, 21). Tom expresses his feelings of imprisonment as well “House, House! Who pays rent for it, who makes a slave of himself to…” (Menagerie, 21) but Amanda rebukes him and ignores his distress. This leads to …show more content…
Williams father was emotionally absent in Williams life only devoted to ambition and wealth. This was shown by the father who left the family in The Glass Menagerie. His mother was way to strict, stubborn and smoother some to Tennessee and his sister represented well by Amanda. This bad parenting led to Rose to be crippled the same way Laura was in the play. Tom was made to represent Tennessee himself who was desperate to escape from his cruel parents. He took up play writing and poetry to pursue wealth and to leave his sick family behind. His one regret was having to leave his sister Rose who in the end became brain dead after her parents believed her to be insane the same way Tom did. This play was his greatest achievement in his career as a playwright showing his struggles, his view, and finally, a plea for understanding of his tragedies which made him who he

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