The Glass Menagerie Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Glass Menagerie - status Paper ExampleTom wants to forsake his traffic to his family but he observems to countenance difficulty in leaving Laura the most. In the play, business becomes a choice between handicraft to ones dreams and duty to ones family, which is juxtaposed with grammatical gender and social class issues. The Glass Menagerie depicts that society insists that deal forget their duty to their own dreams because they have to follow gender and social class norms and expectations. The concept of business is a product of social conditioning, which is based on gender and social class customs. Society teaches gender norms that define the roles and responsibilities of men and women to each other. In Scene 2, Amanda expresses her disappointment with Laura after learning that the latter has dropped her classes at the business college. Amanda underscores the sacrifices made in sending Laura to school Fifty dollars tuition, all of our plans my hopes and ambitions for yo u just gone up the spout, just gone up the spout like that (Williams ii. 369). During this time, working class women had limited educational and frugal opportunities. For Amanda, Laura is throwing away the only opportunity she has to earn money and to help her brother support their family. Tom has the gravest responsibility of all because as a man, he is expected to provide for his mother and sister. Amanda constantly nags Tom of his duties to his family What practiced have you got to jeopardize your job? Jeopardize the security of us all? How do you think wed manage if you were (Williams iii). Amanda cannot even say the unthinkable. She finds it unthinkable for a man to desert his family because a mans most important duty is to his family. As a southern belle, she is a traditional woman and her conventions wrought her thinking about the duties of men and women. Aside from gender division, society separates people into social classes, where the rich have more freedoms than the poor. Tom envies the invigoration of the rich Across the alley from us was the Paradise Dance Hall. You could see couples kissing behind ash-pits... This was the compensation for lives that passed like mine, without any change or adventure (Williams v. 381-82). He hates his life where duty to others is central. The play demonstrates uneven social and gender structures that affect peoples ability to be happy. Society asserts that men have the responsibility to take care of their families basic needs and wants. Tom has the duty to raise his family after their father left many years ago. He says House, house Who pays rent on it, who makes a slave of himself to (Williams iii. 373). Society thinks it is natural for men to be breadwinners. They are the symbolic beams of the family. Tom thinks differently, however. He wants to follow his duty to himself, but for the longest time, he surrenders to social dictates. Aside from Tom, Jim has a duty to mend Lauras self-confidence because he se es her as a little sister. He senses Lauras strong risk because of her physical illness A little physical defect is what you have. Hardly noticeable even amplify thousands of times by imagination You know what my strong advice to you is? Think of yourself as superior in both(prenominal) way (Williams vii. 402). In the article Tennessee Williamss The Glass Menagerie, Ardolino argues that the Rubicam College stands for Julius