The Glass Menagerie: Analyzing Tom ‘s Fictional character
The Glass Menagerie, written by Tennessee William, among the finest American calamities, is an autobiography of the writer that reveals several of the dramatist ‘s defects every bit good as his strengths as an person. Tennessee William uses the signifier of a memory drama to entwine semblances and world ; hence, the reader can merely capture the truth of human ideals and dreams acted out within an illusional universe. Memory excludes inside informations, or exaggerates certain events that are meaningful for the storyteller ; in this instance, all the events are seen through Tom ‘s memories. Thomas L. King makes a important statement about this drama “ we see non the character ‘s memory of them – Amanda and the remainder are simply facets of Tom ‘s consciousness ” ( 86 ) . Given that it is a memory drama Tom, the storyteller, attempts to pull the reader into the drifting province of memory, past images and dreams ; hence, he is imbued by his memories, which has caused him to exemplify each character based on his ain personality facets. Harmonizing to PhD Darryl E. Haley, “ If these descriptions are elements of Tom ‘s personality, every bit good as of characters in the play, Tom has five-part personality. ” Therefore, Tom has projected features of his character to the five characters in the drama: Amanda, Laura, Mr. Wingfield, Tom and Jim.
The character of Laura has besides been drenched by Tom ‘s memories. Laura is emotionally and physically crippled. She is a delicate adult female incapable of confronting the existent universe ; alternatively, she chooses to get away world by populating a universe of semblances and dreams. These are aspects which the storyteller – Tom Wingfieeld – constantly goes through. Benjamin Nelson one time described Tom as “ the supporter in the narrative [ who ] possesses the romantic psyche of a dreamer. ” Although he is a dreamer, Tom ‘s inability of carry throughing his dreams has emotionally destabilized him, doing him have a low-self steam and to make mechanisms of defence in response to his failure. Furthermore, Tom has been emotionally damaged by the forsaking of his male parent. As a consequence of all the defeats Tom has gone through, he could be considered to be physically crippled as he has excessively, decided to get away the world of his failure and has come to populate a universe psychotic belief. Tom has infused Laura as an emotionally and physically halt individual ; therefore, this could excessively depict the emotional province of his ain character. “ she lives in a universe of her ain ” ( 66 )
Although Jim is “ the most realistic character in the drama ” , he excessively, has been imbued by Tom ‘s memory ; However, Tom did non inculcate this character with qualities of his ain ego, alternatively, Jim represents the idealised character Tom would wish to go. Jim is a nice and immature adult male, who is able to convey hope into the Wingfield household. Jim has high outlooks of life, he does non deplore unfulfilling dreams or remains in his past glorification but alternatively, he seeks for possible chances to spread out as an person. Most significantly, he is able to convey Laura out of her drifting province of unreality ; for one time, he is able to do her feel secure and loved. These are the idealised personality facets, Tom Wingfield, would wish to achieve. The character of Jim is the different of Tom ‘s character.
Tom has projected many of his personality aspects to Mr. Wingfield, as he has excessively abandoned his household. Mr. Wingfield is the character that the storyteller -Tom — uses to bespeak his selfishness, impulsiveness and irresponsible part-personality. Mr. Wingfield manages to get away world go forthing his household behind while each member is capsulated in semblances and emotionally damaged, chiefly because of his forsaking. Mr. Wingfield was “ a telephone adult male who fell in love with long distances ; he gave up his occupation with the telephone company and skipped the light antic out of town ” . ( 23 ) Mr. Wingfield loves long distances, more than what he loves his household, a adult male whose lone desire is to carry through his dreams, in malice of the well-being of the household. Mr. Wingfield left with no accounts, abandoning the household and rejecting the duty of a male parent. Tom, excessively, possesses these personality traits. “ I ‘m be aftering to alter. I ‘m right at the point of perpetrating myself to a hereafter that does n’t include the warehouse and Mr. Mendoza or even a night-school class in public speech production ” . ( 79 ) In a similar manner, Tom decides to be a “ selfish dreamer ” ( 114 ) and follow his male parent ‘s footfalls by go forthing Amanda and Laura unprotected.
Despite the storyteller, Tom Wingfield, has projected feature of his character to the five characters in the drama: Amanda, Laura, Jim, Tom and Mr. Wingfield.
The characters in the memory drama exist merely in relationship to the narrator-protagonist. They may look to him to be weak or strong, heroes or scoundrel ; but the point of their involvement is non what they are but what they are to the storyteller Paul T. Nola ( 148 ) .
As a memory drama, The glass Menagerie is non needfully a drama that accentuates the importance of other characters ; instead, it is Tom ‘s position of each one of these characters — as he has infused his ain personality facets to these — that makes this drama a important American calamity. Paul T. Nola said “ The drama is his memory, and his memory — non a rational analysis of it-is his grounds. ”
