"The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams

(Scenes 1-5)

None of the characters in this play seem to be happy. Tom, Amanda, and Laura each have their own flaws and issues. There is an interesting interaction between the members of the dysfunctional Wingfield family.

Tom hates his job. He is always butting heads with his domineering mother. He feels caged within his own life. He feels unfulfilled and longs for adventure, longs for escape from the appartment and his family and his routine. His description about the magician's trick of escaping a sealed coffin is very relevant to his own life. He doesn't know how to escape his coffin without hurting Laura, who he cares for deeply.

Laura is physically and socially handicapped. She lacks self-esteem. She does not believe she will have any gentleman callers, and she doesn't let on that she even wants to. She lives in a fantasy world, and doesn't mind staying there. She does however care about her brother Tom. She understands his unhappiness and sympathizes greatly. She is constantly under pressure from her mother Amanda to be more like she was.

Amanda is a single mother who wants the best for her children. But she doesn't understand that what they want is not what she wants for them. She worries that Tom will become like his drunkard father and leave the family. She worries that Laura will never become self-reliant, and worse, will never find someone to rely on. She does what she can for Laura, but doesn't understand that they are completely different people.

Tom and Amanda are reconciled by their mutual love for Laura. She depends on them. While she needs him, Tom cannot leave the family.

At the end of scene 5, the family is preparing to host one of Tom's co-workers so that he can meet Laura. Call me crazy, but I do not believe things are finally about to work out for the Wingfields...