glas menagerie
...e reasons for staying. His family needed him desperately; his mother was old and incapable of maintaining a suitable income, plus his sister’s handicap and paralyzing shyness and self-doubt. He failed to recognize this; possible by the influence of his father whom abandoned the family 16 years before the time Tom himself left (6.194). It’s also possible to say, that because of Tom’s flashback, he himself finally realized the reasons to stay at the same time the reader does. The whole idea that Tom is having a flashback certifies the theme. Years later, Tom is poignantly reminiscing about how he left his helpless family. But most importantly, it’s his memory and he doesn’t defend his reasons for leaving. He shows his mother and sister’s instability, and dependency on him. He shows his selfishness and inconsiderate spending of money through his constant movie attendance, and his failure to pay the light bill for his own “dues” (6.194). Tom’s flashback shows his regret and sorrow for leaving his family at a time when they needed him the most. The title also supports the theme. The Glass Menagerie represents the fragility of the family. Something that Tom failed to notice until it was too late. This failure to realize his mother and sister’s need for his support drive him into a guilt-filled conscience that forces him to recall the incident through this drama. The memories of his sister’s liking for her glass menageries could also spark guilt and regret. That can be supported by the way he reacted after breaking some of her trinkets in a fit of rage. When he throws his jacket across the room and knocks some of her glass animals off the shelf, he automatically softens and goes to help her pick up the broken glass (3.174). Since it’s his memory, the title suits the mood and feelings Tom gets when thinking about leaving home. The title supports the theme that he cannot let go of the past, and that the memory of his sister and mother haunt him. As repeatedly pointed out before, the drama is Tom’s memory. His characterization, in the sense of his actions, is the final point that validates the theme. The mere fact that he’s recalling the incid...