Glass Menageary Essay, Research Paper

Everyone has a haven for one reason or they other, but most people have on. In the glassManagery every character has a sanctuary there own way of escaping, there self madereality. To say one character has a larger role in creating the uneasiness of thesehousehold would be unfair. The characters in this book freed of each her and there miseryprojects on to everyone around them. The house which is the climax of the play consist of three people Amanda, Laura,and tom. Amanda is the head of the household. She is an older women who was left byher husband years ago. Amanda s reality is a sad one, one of eternal reminiscing. Shefeels her life is not what it should have been therefore she tries to relive her days throughher daughter. She also plagues her son for the mistakes her husband made, unintentionallymaking him miserable. Amanda escapes her reality by living in the past repediatlyreminding everyone around her of all her gentlemen callers she had as a young woman. She tries to force her daughter to be as she wishes she could be. Laura is a shy young girl who lives in fear of the world, she s like a bird withbeautiful wings that just can t fly. She is said to be crippled bunt in reality the onlydisability she has is the one she inflicts upon her self. Laura is beautiful and smart but hershyness cripples her, stealing all her chances of happiness. The hardest thing in life isgetting your own chance. Whenever Laura is presented with everyday problems she

cripples herself by making it impossible for her to live a normal life. Laura doesn t attendschool, she has no friends, and she has a great fear of human contact. But instead shespends her days locked behind walls of security which in the case are glass ornaments, andold phonograph records. Amanda and Laura make there home a morbid place, unfortunately being the manof the house Tom is forced to play the role of the father he never had. Tom is constantlynagged by Amanda he is in constant misery being blamed for his fathers mistakes and isconstantly forced to be someone he is truly not. Besides his homelife Tom also hates hisjob and the people around him. Tom only escapes from reality are the movies, dance halls,and drinking. Although he is a strong character he is also very weak and he chooses toleave his mother and sister and hide into the night. Every character in this book hides behind something. There problems will alwaysbe the same because they choose to run from them instead of facing and overcoming them. Everyone in the world has problems including myself. The one thing I have that helps meescape is writing and looking into the city lights. Whenever I stare into these lights itgives me the comfort of knowing that this isn t it at there s a whole world out there,millions of new people, so many things I have never done. Some people have it worsethan others but being that were human even the best never good enough, and we all need aplace to escape the truth.