A Brother and Sister Relationship in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

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A Brother and Sister Relationship in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams In the play, "The Glass Menagerie", the characters and relationships between them are very unique. Two unique characters that have a very strong relationship are the brother Tom, and his sister, Laura. Tom is a confused, young man who supports his sister. Laura, his sister, has very low-self esteem and does nothing but sulk around the house all day. Their mother Amanda, is absolutely a lunatic. She is obsessive and controlling to her children, because she wants them to live the life she wanted to live. While Tom works hard to support his family, and has a strong care for Laura, he feels trapped and confused. After working long hard days, Tom has to come home to the reality of his critical mother, his poor helpless sister, and their tiny, cramped apartment. Tom feels a lot of resentment towards his father for abandoning the family. He escapes his feelings and emotions by going out all night to the "movies" or the "bar". There was never any real truth in where he went. When Tom is at home he feels trapped, like he is in a cage and can not escape. Tom sometimes thinks he is stuck with the burden with taking care of his family, when he could be out living his own life. He is constantly arguing with his mother, Amanda. She always has something to say no matter what Tom does. In his heart, Tom truly cares for his sister. He wants her to be happy and lead a good life. He knows that she has potential, but is afraid the world would turn her away because of her handicap. In his article about being confined in Tom's apartment, Eric P. Levy writes "Tom, the narrator and chief character, the past when he started "to boil inside" with the ur... ... middle of paper ... ...le he was gone from home he could not get his sister off his mind. He saw her everywhere he went, and everything reminded him of her. She needed him to be there to support her as a brother, and help her get through life. Their bond was so special because it was the two of them against their crazy, mid-life crisis mother. Tom realizes how important his sister is to him, and how she affects his life. He knew as the man of the house that he had no other choice but than to pick up the role when his father deserted them. Tom and Laura will always have a strong connection as a brother and sister. Laura means the world to Tom and he would never want any harm to come to her. Even though he left the house, Laura knows in her heart why he left, and that it was not anything against her. While Tom works hard to support his mother and sister, he felt trapped and confused

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