The Father As The Most Important Character In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

The Father As The Most Important Character In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

In "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams the father is not a

proper character, he is instead, portrayed by a '

larger-than-life-size photograph over the mantel' in the Wingfield

household. Even though he is not a real character, he still has an

influence on the other characters in the play because of the actions

he had taken in the past. He is mentioned very little in the play yet

his presence can still be felt in the actions and words of some

characters. The play is a memory play and memory is an imaginative

tool, which can be used to express the truth. Things in this play, may

be exaggerated in order to put the message across.

In the beginning of the play, Williams shows Amanda as being bitter

about the fathers abandonment when she says 'I could have been Mrs.

Duncan J. Fitzhugh, mind you! But-I picked your father!' this also

shows that Amanda's character is stuck in the past and she regrets

choosing the father in the first place because she believes that she

could have done better. She also doesn't seem to want to talk about Mr

Wingfield much because every reference she does make to him is

punctuated by an exclamation mark - 'One thing your father had plenty

of - was charm!' - or trails off - 'And then I - (she stops in front

of the picture) met your father! Malaria fever and jonquils and then -

this - boy…' the brevity of the recollections suggests strong emotion.

An extended, realistic assessment of Mr Wingfield's character would be

too painful for Amanda. Also, some of Amanda's biggest character

traits, like her constant nagging of ...

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...f a bastard' this shows that maybe, as he had

to experience how his mother and sister reacted when his father left,

even though he wants to do the same thing, he has to try and do it

with as little pain caused as possible. This may also show that his

father has had a big impact on the final decision he makes and his

guilt that he feels at the end of the play.

Overall, I do not believe that the father is the most important

character in the play but his character still has a significance and

without him, Tom's feelings about the decision he decided to take may

be different. Also, if the father hadn't left then Amanda's attitude

towards both of her children may have also been different, for

example, she may not have to nag Tom to do his work so much and she

may not be as worried about Laura not having gentleman callers.