Glass Menagerie

This play is complex, it features a broken family almost like Purple Hibiscus. The son, Tom; he is one of the most important character. He is left with the biggest role after his father left, he is now to support his family on his own because without him; there would be no family. He must work day in and day out at a warehouse/factory to make enough to support his mother and sister. Tom lives in a constant state of frustration because he wants to be able to provide for his family but the burden is heightened because now that his father isn't there anymore, he feels obligated to be the support. But his mother always believed that he was selfish because he wish he could of followed his dream to become a poet. Now he is stuck at a job that he hates with all his being because in that day and age gender roles were very prominent. The women would be the caretakers of the house and the men would be the ones who got their hands dirty and brought home the money. Tom and his mother never see eye to eye which inevitably leads him to arguments almost all the time and it causes him to fall deeper into the pit of being stressed and frustration. He picks up a few bad habits along the way when he starts staying out later and drinking more. If you were Tom, would you also feel obligated to provide for your family if one of your parents left?

Glass Menagerie (Untold Story)

Glass Menagerie holds an untold story. This story is very big on sacrifice, Tom continuously puts aside his happiness to do whats best for his family. He wakes up very early every morning to do what he can to make enough money to support his family. He continues to work strenuous hours to support his mom and sister because he knows that without him, they would not be able to survive. Tom worked at a factory and he hated it so much but he knew he had to do it for family. He started coming home late at night and both his mother and sister had no idea as to where he went or what he did. This  is a untold story of  how he continued doing the things he hated just so his sister and mother lived easier. He sacrificed his happiness to make it so his family would be okay even though he himself was suffering, he was selfless enough to keep his family's life going. People say that family is forever, and this is exactly what Tom is showing. Would you be able to push everything aside to ensure a happier lifestyle for your family?

The theme of Glass Menagerie

Glass Menagerie is primarily a book about family but it also is about finding happiness. There is a lot of gender roles throughout Glass Menagerie, such as if you are a man; you must be the one who brings money into the family. Women must be house wives and care for their household or they must go on and look for a husband to financially care for their household. Within this story, the family is very broken. Tom is on the verge of breaking down, though he may be financially stable in some sense; his family is falling apart. He is an alcoholic, he drinks quite a bit and he tries to escape from his issues. He is slowly losing himself through his escape and is breaking internally. I believe he has depression and is trying to break free from his problems. Slowly he becomes an image of his father as he progresses and he also leaves he family. If he could of done something differently, what do you believe he could of done?