The Glass Menagerie - Character P1 Flashcards
When the action begins, Tom is missing from the table and has to be joined to call them.
This innocuous event has a dramatic impact as it immediately shows us that Tom is not a man in charge of his own life. He is at the beck and call of his overbearing mother. On the occasion Tom obays but it isn’t long before his impulsive, erratic behaviour is seen as his patience with her nagging wears out.
Williams clearly wants the audience to be aware of the context of Toms behaviour. He wants us to feel sorry for Tom when he flies off the handle. Their argument seems innocent enough however it foreshadows all the other where Amanda feels she must boss Tom about. Tom says very little throughout the rest of the scene, he allows Amanda to reminisce her gentleman callers.
Their argument is short-lived suggesting Tom loves her enough to let it blow over however he seems unpredictable, Tom rages and then calms. It makes us fear that this will eventually boil over as Tom seems to struggle with inner conflict.
After Tom and Amanda’s argument, Tom decides he is ‘getting a cigarette’
this tells us that Tom smokes to disengage and distress from his mother. It allows him to relax and escape, we judge Toms actions as someone who feels trapped. Williams wants us to feel sorry for Tom as his mother is very dictorial.
