Tom and Laura

Tom: "Her not speaking-is that such a tragedy?"
The Glass Menagerie, Scene 4, pg. 1249


Tom is a rather complicated character. On one hand, he is harsh, blunt, blatant, and often annoyed by his family. On the other hand, he can sometimes be sincere, sympathetic, and caring towards his family. These contradicting characteristics can classify him as a round character. Sometimes I feel sorry for Tom because he is forced to stay at home until Laura finds a husband that can take care of her. He claims that he wants adventure and that he would like to move away from his home and expand his horizons outside of the warehouse, but he cannot for he is trapped at home watching over his mother and sister. It's not until the end of the play that Tom takes the incentive to leave home and leave behind the familiarity of his life. I find Tom's leaving home to be ironic. Earlier in the play in Scene 3 Tom said: "If self is what I thought of, Mother, I'd be where he is-GONE" (iii.1247). Tom alludes to the fact that his father's selfishness led him to desert his family, yet Tom himself seems to have done the exact same thing to his family. Tom's reasonings may have been different from his father's-Tom wanting to explore new things while his father's motives are unknown-but the two still had one thing in common: their selfishness overcame their desire to care for their own family.

Laura is rather different than Tom in that she would never desire to leave the familiarity of her life. She is perfectly content sitting at home with all of her glass figurines. She seems to have no desire to even pursue a life with deeper meaning, happiness, and success than her current life. Laura's conditions cause her to feel this way. She is mentally trapped in a made up world of glass figurines where everything is predictable. She also feels physically trapped by her leg ailment. These two situations combined lead Laura to feel as though her life has no reason to be grand and wonderful; she is a poor girl that simply cannot do anything for herself. She's rather helpless. I hope that Jim's kind advice to her that she should have some confidence in herself sticks with her into her later life. The girl needs a little confidence boost.