Analysis: The Glass Menagerie

Amanda begins to see beyond her daughter as a crippled and does not let any of her children mention it. Amanda is concerned with what her children ... ... middle of paper ... ... to encourage” (Beattie, 2). It is said that Amanda’s greatest flaw is denying reality which she would often withdraw from. She longed to be “well-off” and “wouldn’t accept that she was responsible for why her children ended up this way;” and “wouldn’t accept that she was responsible for the sorrow and flaws of her children” (Unknown, Essaylet). Amanda Wingfield cared mostly about her children's well being.

For Mrs. Bragg her children are the reason she wakes up everyday and tries to make a better life for them. No matter what actions or words a mother chooses, to a child his or her mother is on the highest pedestal. A mother is very important to a child because of the nourishing and love the child receives from his or her mother but not every child experiences the mother’s love or even having a mother. Bragg’s mother was something out of the ordinary because of all that she did for her children growing up, but no one is perfect in this world. Bragg’s mother’s flaw was always taking back her drunken husband and thinking that he could have changed since the last time he...

Under her happy face mask she hides the second one, paralysed with fear and uncertainty. She grew up in the spirit of the programmed positive 50's, believing that her marriage will be like a diamond, everlasting. Ted was supposed to be a man for th... ... middle of paper ... ...d she remained a great, tender and caring mother, although life-dream of a happy family did not come true. The whole life she tried to act her roles perfectly and she managed to, at least she did her best. Plath identified with the values that feminists reject: being loving wife, good mother, which together with writing, were her fulfilment and happiness.

Amanda, somehow, finds a way to be both selfish and selfless when it comes to Laura. Amanda wants Laura to be happy and successful, but does not understand that Laura is too shy and unmotivated to be either. When Amanda discovers that Laura has stopped going to typing class she is beyond disappointing. When discovered Amanda yells at her daughter saying, “Fifty dollars’ tuition, all our plans- my hopes and ambitions for you- just gone up the spout, just gone up the spout like that.” Laura quit something as simple as learning how to type; this realization struck Amanda because if she cannot do that there is no way Laura could provide for herself without a husband. Mrs. Wingfield’s worst nightmare is is for her children to become dependent on relatives and not being able to take care of themselves.

Amanda definitely wants the best for Laura but she does not understand that her daughter is very different from herself. Amanda constantly tells love stories and tells tales of many gentleman callers. She constantly tells her daughter to stay pretty for her gentleman callers even though Laura does not expect any. After, Laura drops out of school Amanda tries to get Laura’s brother Tom to set her up with a man. Amanda forces her daughter to dress the way she thinks is appropriate.

For Celie, the strength she found in enduring the abuses of her step-father remained with her throughout her life. Celie silently held her emotions inside and didn?t speak up in opposition when horrible things were going on all around her. When her step-father wanted to marry her off to Mr. _____, all she could think about was Nettie?s safety, and she never said a single word against it, though she was greatly conflicted in her mind. After she had been married off to Mr. , his sisters came to visit. They liked Celie a lot saying, ?Good housekeeper, good with children, good cook.

Whenever Waldine gets an award for school, her mother could not come to the ceremony because she is booked with work, though her mom makes up for her absences by being a big sister for Waldine. Since Waldine had two brothers, she did not know how it is like to have a big sister though her mother easily filled that void and was always there for her. If Waldine ever made mistakes, her mother would always comfort her and tell her that it is fine because people could learn from it. Waldine’s mother may not have been a great mom but she was someone that Waldine looked up to despite her flaws. Her mother does what she can for her kids knowing that she cannot be there when her children needs her the most and Waldine respected her for that due to her willingness to give up her time for them.

Amanda lives through her children to help make her life more bearable. Amanda living through her children brings out the bad and the good. One of Amanda’s good traits is the fact that she gives all to her children. She shows this when she says “ I know so well what becomes of unmarried women who aren’t prepared to occupy a position.” That is her life’s main concern. She frets and worries about her children to no end.

Joy Luck Club The stories of Suyuan and Jing-Mei Woo reveal some of Amy Tan's main themes in the novel. One important theme is that we must get to know and understand our parents in order to fully understand ourselves. June spends the first half of her life believing that she is a disappointment to her mother and has been unsuccessful in life. However, when she learns more about her mother's past and discovers that her mother is proud of her good heart and concern for others, she realizes that she has accomplished something by doing small things to the best of her ability. She learns that one does not have to be famous, or a genius, or greatly wealthy in order to be successful.

The hard work of life reminds her of the letters in the attic that she does not want her children to find and that she took great pains to keep a tidy house. Readers learn that she had prepared herself for death at sixty, and then “got over the notion” after she actually became ill and recovered 78). Cornelia’s attentiveness makes Granny feel old, but her other children, Jimmy and Lydia, still ask her advice, reminding Granny