The Dreamer
Page 1970 question # 2- Analyze the complexities and contradictions to be found in a well-rounded character from a play of your choice. Tom Wingfield introduces himself as an ambitious man who wishes to escape his own reality in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie (1945). He is the breadwinner of his family, providing for his mother, Amanda, and his sister, Laura, by working at a “shoe factory where his father worked” (1612). Tom narrates the play from his dreamer perspective. He constantly goes to see movies in an attempt to provide adventure to his lackluster life. At first Tom struck me as sympathetic, but as the play progresses he reveals himself to be a very selfish individual. Tom narrates each scene from “memory and [they are] therefore unrealistic” (1614). He remembers his life as an imprisonment, where he is stuck doing undesirable work to provide for his family. His father’s abandonment left him as the sole provider for his family. His family displays “a blown up photograph of the father [that] hangs on the wall of [their] living room” (1614) in their disheveled apartment “flanked on both sides by dark, narrow alleys” (1614). We are continuously exposed to Tom’s viewpoint and the difficulty he has with separating his life from his vision. Amanda’s son emphasizes the smothering nature of his mother throughout the play. Amanda habitually badgers Tom telling him, “Honey, don’t push with your fingers. If you have to push with something, the thing to push with is a crust of bread” (1615). She treats Tom as an adolescent and pushes him further into his dream world. Amanda seems to expect Tom to act as a replacement for his father saying, “as soon as Laura has got somebody to take care of her…you’ll be free to go wherever you please” (1629). Unfortunately the narrator winds up leaving his family just like his father. The difference between Tom and his father is that he feels remorse for deserting his family, claiming to be “more faithful than [he] intended to be!” (1658). Tom’s character is full of contradictions. He is always dreaming of a different lifestyle. He tends to be dramatic, by always keeping his whereabouts a secret from his mother. Amanda continually doubts his validity questioning, “Where are you going?” (1623). Tom’s answer is always the same, “I’m going to the movies!” (1623). The movies provide the narrator with freedom from his overbearing mother. The movies acted as an outlet for Tom, but were unable to relieve him of his mother’s oppression. We are introduced to Tom’s affection for Laura when his mother asks him to bring home a “nice young [man]” (1629) for her. Tom manages to invite a clerk from the warehouse to dinner, but purposely does not tell him about his mother’s intentions. He gives his mother “one little warning. [Jim] doesn’t know about Laura” (1634). The narrator might have chosen to not disclose his mother’s ulterior motive because he knew Jim was already engaged. The narrator claims he was unaware of this stating, “The warehouse is where I work, not where I know things about people!” (1657). As the protagonist he may have subliminally been sabotaging his sister’s chance at finding a suitable man. Amanda is completely aware of Tom’s antsy attitude towards his current living situations. She knows that he longs for something she cannot provide. Amanda recognizes that he will soon leave to pursue his own desires, “…as soon as Laura has got somebody to take care of her, married, a home of her own, independent—why, then [he’ll] be free to go wherever [he] [pleases]” (1629). Amanda will accept her son’s leaving only when she and Laura are stable. Taking care of his family should not be Tom’s responsibility. He should not have to provide his sister with a suitor. Amanda claims that Tom is being selfish when he asks her, “What can I do about it?” (1629). Amanda tells Tom to “find [someone] that’s clean-living—doesn’t drink—and ask him out for sister!” (1629). Tom reluctantly complies with Amanda’s wishes to find Laura a suitor. The relationship between Tom and Laura mirrors the protective relationship Tennessee Williams had with his schizophrenic sister Rose. Tom’s caring relationship with Laura exemplifies Williams’ feelings towards Rose. Jim’s nickname for Laura, “Blue Roses,” (1647) meant much more to Williams than meets the eye. The narrator fails to provide Laura with a suitable man. He invites Jim O’Connor, “a shipping clerk,” (1633) to dinner only to discover that Jim is engaged. Amanda holds her son responsible for the pain that this causes Laura. She highlights his selfishness claiming he never thinks of his “mother deserted and an unmarried sister who’s crippled and has no job” (1657). Amanda acknowledges that Tom is, “…the only young man… who ignores the fact that the future becomes the present, the present the past, and the past turns into everlasting regret” (1633). Jim acknowledges that Tom is not the “warehouse type” (1640) and neither is he. He tells Tom that he is “going to be out of a job if [he] [doesn’t] wake up” (1641). Jim urges Tom to start living in the present. The narrator’s need to live in a reverie results in an insecure future for his family. Tom talks to Jim about becoming a member of the “Union of Merchant Seamen” (1642). He tells Jim that he “paid his dues for this month, instead of the light bill” (1642) claiming himself, “the bastard son of a bastard” (1642). Tom uses this as an excuse for his shortcomings in providing for his family. His father’s selfishness is an excuse for his egotism. The speaker’s feelings towards his sister struck me as quite odd. While he deems her “peculiar” (1635), he points out the similarities they share and his care for her. Tom says that Laura “lives in a world of her own—a world of—little glass ornaments” (1635) which is not so different from the world that he lives in. The narrator fails to realize that he also lives in a world of his own and possesses the same characteristics as Laura. Tennessee Williams seems to emphasize the importance of individuality through both Tom and Laura. Williams portrays Tom’s uniqueness as an undesirable characteristic. Williams’ interest in writing might have sparked a similar reaction from society. Even though Tom follows in his father’s footsteps—leaving his family, he feels great remorse for his actions. For example, he tells his sister: “Oh Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be!” (1658). He uses his father’s shortcomings as a reason for his adverse behavior. The narrator claims that his actions are a result of the inbred qualities from his father. Abandonment is in his blood. Breaking loose is a constant theme within The Glass Menagerie. The fire escape, which the Wingfield’s utilize as a door, serves Tom in many ways. It provides him with a manifestation of his future getaway from the pressures of his family. He must use it to retreat to the movies and live vicariously through the adventures of actors. This symbol acts as a getaway into his make-believe world. It provides a link into his imagination and allows him to be free of the burden of his family. The stairs outside the apartment ultimately provide the narrator with his getaway to his dreams, “I descended the steps of this fire-escape for a last time and followed, from then on, in my father’s footsteps” (1657). Tom can now “[attempt] to find in motion what was lost in space” (1657) and “[travel] around a great deal” (1657) just like he always wanted.

Works Cited
Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. Literature: an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. New York: Longman, 2010. Print