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In this scene, she is deliberately planting an idea in Laura's head that someone will show up out of the blue and ask for her hand in marriage. Even Laura knows that the likelihood for this occurring is small. Even when Jim enters into the picture, Amanda puts all of her faith into him marrying Laura without knowing anything about him or his feelings. Tom needs to find an escape from his mother and he does so by leaving home as often as possible. His greatest escapes are going to the movies and spending time of the fire escape. The pressure of taking care of the family proves to be too much for Tom as he tells Amanda that if he were thinking of himself as much as she accused him of doing so, he would be like his father, who is "gone! As far as the system of transportation reaches!" (981). Tom is plagued with the dread of what kind of life he lives with his mother and sister along with the pressure to care for them since he is the only man in the family. This pressure causes Tom to drink excessively and escape to world that does not exist in the movies.
Willy and Amanda do not intentionally set out to be detriments to their families. They have the best intentions but that is simply not enough. In Death of a Salesman, Willy has good intentions, but he chooses to believe the lie that things will get better for him tomorrow. He tells his wife, "The trouble was that three of the stores were half-closed for inventory in Boston. Otherwise, I woulda broke records" (1046). He admits, "people don't seem to take to me" (1047) and they laugh at him. He also states that the people he works with "just pass me by. I'm not noticed" (1047). He knows the truth but he simply cannot bring himself to believe it. In the Glass Menagerie, Amanda accuses Tom of being a "selfish dreamer" (1024) but it is her...
Amanda cannot deal with the truth about Laura so she chooses to believe that her prince charming will magically appear and take care of their family for the rest of their lives. These parents do more harm than good to their families because they cannot face certain truths about their lives.
Death of a Salesman and the Glass Menagerie reveal how parents can destroy their family's lives without deliberately setting out to do so. Willy does not mean to be a failure but he is and he inability to face that fact makes life harder for not only him but also his wife and children because they have to live with him. They look to him for guidance and the best he can do is pass on the lies he believes about himself. Amanda is guilt of believing in lies as well. She would rather believe that things will work out wonderfully as soon as Laura gets married and can provide a decent home for them. She drives her children away because she is so difficult to deal with about certain realities. Even Laura is more ware of the truth regarding their meager lives that she is and the most remarkable thing is how she seems to be able to cope with that fact so much better than Amanda does. These plays demonstrate how parents do not always know what is best nor do they always know the way to make their lives better. In short, they illustrate how parents can destroy their families indirectly.
Works Cited
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. An Introduction to Literature. Sylvan Barnet, ed. Boston:
Little, Brown and Company. 1985. pp. 1030-1114.
Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. An Introduction to Literature. 8th ed. Barnett,
Sylvan, ed. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1985. pp.…
Works Cited
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. An Introduction to Literature. Sylvan Barnet, ed. Boston:
Little, Brown and Company. 1985. pp. 1030-1114.
Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. An Introduction to Literature. 8th ed. Barnett,
Sylvan, ed. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1985. pp. 967-1025.
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