How Far is Amanda Wingfield’s Obsession with the Past Responsible for the Doomed Present in The Glass Menagerie? 

Answer

 How far is Amanda Wingfield’s obsession with the past responsible for the doomed present in “The Glass Menagerie”?

“The Glass Menagerie”(1944) is the best-known play by  Tennessee Williams (1911–1983). It is a play about memory, illusion, and family dreams. Amanda Wingfield, the mother, lives in her glorious past and ignores her painful present. Her obsession with youth and society destroys family peace. Her memories bring unhappiness to Tom and Laura. 

Amanda’s Illusion of the Past: Amanda cannot forget her rich and charming youth. She tells Laura about her “seventeen gentlemen callers.” She repeats this story again and again to escape her dull life. The memory makes her feel proud, but it is only an illusion. In Scene 1, Tom says,

“I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion.” 

Amanda’s life is built on such an illusion. She dresses like a young girl and dreams of her Blue Mountain days. She cannot accept that time has changed. This blind love for the past makes her live in dreams, not in truth.

Amanda’s Control over Tom: Amanda wants Tom to behave like the ideal gentleman of her past. She forgets that times are hard and life is cruel. She scolds Tom for smoking, going to the movies, and writing poetry. She says in Scene 3,

“You live in a dream; you manufacture illusions.” 

This line shows that Amanda herself cannot see reality. She forces Tom to follow old manners, but Tom wants freedom. Her constant control and complaining make home life unbearable. She wants him to be like her Southern heroes, but Tom only feels trapped. His heart longs to escape, just as his father did.

Amanda’s False Hope for Laura: Amanda’s obsession also hurts Laura’s peace. She wants Laura to act like a proper Southern lady. But Laura is shy, weak, and afraid of people. Amanda sends her to business school, but she fails. Then she dreams of a gentleman caller for Laura. Her dream is really for