Tom Exposes Himself in The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

Tom: “Yes, movies! Look at them- All of those glamorous people- having adventures- hogging it all, gobbling the whole thing up! You know what happens? People go to the movies instead of moving! Hollywood characters are supposed to have all the adventures for everybody in America, while everybody in America sits in a dark room and watches them have them! Yes, until there’s a war. That’s when adventure becomes available to the masses! Everyone’s dish not only Gable’s! Then the people in the dark room come out of the dark room to have some adventures themselves- goody, goody! It’s our turn now to go to the South Sea Island- to make a safari- to be exotic, far- off! But I’m not patient. I don’t want to wait till then. I’m tired of the movies and I am about to move!” (Williams 61).

This passage introduces a depth to Tom’s character. Beforehand his feelings about life were vaguely expressed as unhappiness, frustration, and monotony. He went to the movies to get out of the house after a hard day of work at a warehouse. This novel takes place during the Great Depression Era and life was very difficult during that time. Many people were out of work and constantly losing their jobs and there was a fear of not being able to survive. Tom lived a hard life as the main source of income flowing into his house. He was the breadwinner of the family and he lived with his mother, Amanda, and sister, Laura. Until this point, it was not completely understood why he went to the movies every night besides getting away from his mother. Through this dialogue, Tom explains his obsession with movies. The idea of escapism is to picture a different life, an easier life full of adventure rather than struggle. Tom goes to the movies to live someone else’s adventures and he eventually becomes sick of it. He wants to have his own journey. He is jealous of the adventures that people have in films and wants to embark on his own this time. This is the point in the play where it is discovered that Tom plans on leaving his family, just as his father did, because it is his time to live a dream and is officially done suppressing his needs for the needs of others. It is his turn to make his own “movie.”

This passage stuck out to me as I read the play. I found it interesting and actually found it true. I watch many movies and this got me thinking. We do watch movies to live in the actor’s adventures and excitement. If we go to watch a romance film, we experience the romance between two actors and if we go to watch a horror movie, we live in the thrilling scary scenes. But once the movie is over, life is the same as it was before we went into the theater. In the case of Tom, that was the part he was done with. When he watched the movie it was entertainment that allowed him to escape his miserable life, but when he got out, his stress was outside the door waiting for him. He is going to leave his family to pursue his dream. As much as it is hard to believe that he would leave his mother and sister with nothing, I understand why he is doing it. It is difficult to live when one's dreams are concealed in the background. He had reached the breaking point.

-Maddy Hirshan