Theme Of Dreams In The Glass Menagerie

Tennessee Williams demonstrates through his play, The Glass Menagerie, that dreams do not always have happy endings and that dreaming can have a significant impact on those closest to an individual, be it in a positive or negative way. The character Tom is a dreamer who, in the absence of his father and under the watchful eye of his controlling but loving mother, Amanda, is constantly held between the responsibility to support his dependant mother and crippled sister and the freedom of following his dreams. Williams illustrates how dreams often detract people from reality which in turn causes frustration within those closest to them. He then further builds on this idea through the character Tom who is an example of how dreams can make people

Through characterisation William’s demonstrates how the character of Tom is constantly torn between the freedom of following his dream and the responsibility to look after his dependant family, with his dreams ultimately leading him to leave his family unsupported. At the start of the play the character of Tom is working at a low paying factory wherein his colleagues constantly refer to him as “Shakespeare” (52), as in the time that he should be working he instead writes as his dream is to become a creative writer. This demonstrates how Tom, in the pursuit of his dream is willing to irresponsibly and selfishly risk the income of his family. Furthermore, through dialogue when Amanda states “every night to the movies!” (43), Williams is uncovering how for Tom to achieve his dream he is not only willing to risk the family income, but also spend it with no thought as to the wellbeing of his family. The selfish nature of dreams is finally uncovered as Tom ultimately chooses to abandon his dependant mother and crippled sister in the hope of achieving his own selfish dream. The selfish nature of dreams is also conveyed through dialogue when Amanda refers to Tom as a “selfish dreamer” (85), indicating that his dreaming is perceived by his mother as ultimately selfish due to his irresponsible behaviour occurring as a result of his dreams. Therefore, through the characterisation of Tom and the dialogue it is evident that Tom is an extensive example of how dreaming can cause one to become selfish in their endeavours, as he was so desperate to achieve his dream as a creative writer that he risked the financial stability of his family and then abandoned them. Therefore, just as Williams portrays that dreams can cause the dreamer to become selfish through the characterisation of Tom and dialogue, it is clear through the characterisation of Laura,