The Glass Menagerie
Tennessee Williams
In this section of the play, the audience gets the first glimpse of a major psychological license (a term I shall coin to refer to inaccurate memories). When Tom sits down with his Amanda, the two engage in a loving reconciliation uncharacteristic of the mother and son. The audience can determine that Tom has used situational and verbal irony to provide an insight into how he wished the scene to occur.
From the beginning of the conversation, Amanda and Tom apologized for their arguments about Tom's nighttime activities. Following these tender moments, Amanda praised Tom for his toils at the warehouse. Whereas before Amanda inquired about Tom's "movies" with nothing but suspicion, now she discusses the matter in regards to Laura's fears. Instead of disapproval, Amanda expresses concern for Tom's future: more importantly, that his future does not coincide with his father's.
However, the audience notices that this interaction seemed unexpected because the words probably were never spoken. In the stage directions, a significant and abrupt change in tone is noted: "(As the familiar inquisition resumes he becomes hard and impatient again. AMANDA slips back to her querulous attitude toward him)" (Williams, 1252). Even though this scene is probably inaccurate, it reveals much about Tom's character. For starters, he most likely regrets how that conversation really happened or that the conversation never actually transpired. His decision to portray this loving scene as truth also portrays his side of the debate without negation. He has been looking for ways to escape the apartment because he feels that he cannot deal with the cramped job at the warehouse and the fact that he is the only one who believes that he makes sacrifices by laboring in the warehouse.
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