An inability to accept one's reality and the idea of ​​telling a story through someone's memory and emotions come into play in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. The Glass Menagerie is narrated by Tom Wingfield and tells the story of how he left his mother, Amanda, and sister, Laura. Amanda is a bossy Southern woman, stuck in the ways of the past and obsessed with finding the perfect "gentleman call" in her daughter. However, Laura is completely antisocial and unable to cope with societal pressures, making her a difficult candidate for a husband. Amanda's authoritarian and controlling nature creates tension between her and Tom, who seeks adventure and freedom, but mostly provides for his family. Eventually, when a man from Laura's past, Jim O'Connor, shows up for dinner, it turns out he is not the "gentleman caller" they all expected and ends up serving as a point of change for Tom, who leaves the family behind. The story delves deep into the idea of ​​who people really are, what their lives have become, and the complexity of human nature.1. It's easy to think of Amanda as the antagonist of The Glass Menagerie, but when it comes to whether or not she's the real villain or just a bad mother, it's really unclear what the issue is. At the root of everything, Amanda wants what's best for her children. She wants Tom to provide for a family, while finding happiness (but not at the bottom of a shot glass) and she wants Laura to have all the benefits of life that Amanda lost when her husband left. The problem with Amanda is that she is a "pusher" who is so stuck in both her youth and the habits of the past that she imposes archaic and impossible expectations on her children. At the beginning of the first scene, she says "......in the middle of a paper......ion of biased memories." It also teaches an important lesson about how difficult it is to escape those memories and the past, no matter how wonderful or horrible they may be. The way Tennessee Williams described the actions in the play was dull and a bit confusing, but the writing itself is very strong. Through the monologues of Tom, Amanda and Jim and the obvious nervousness of Laura's monologues, the meaning of each of the characters is powerful. For this reason, it is an important piece to read, but will likely be found more interesting by literature lovers and theater enthusiasts. Essentially, The Glass Menagerie can feel a little dry and slow-paced at times, but creates wonderful images and complex, real-life characters that reflect the way people really are and how hard they really are to let go. Works Cited The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams