The Glass Menagerie
...uel at times. There is tenderness in her slight person but she has failed to establish contact with reality, she continues to live vitally in her illusions. (425) Tom is the man of the house, courtesy of his father’s departure. He works at the warehouse and pays the bills. He is constantly nagged by his mother about what to do, or where to go. Tom is a very respectful man who loves his mom and sister, and would do anything for them. He does have dreams of his own that he someday wants to pursue. The mother has a dream for her daughter to meet a man and marry him. She always bugs Tom to bring a gentleman home for Laura. So one day Tom tells her mother that he invited one of the guys form the warehouse over for dinner the next night. Jim O’Connor was his name; a man Laura new in high school and had feelings for. The significance of this man was greater than any. He was responsible for setting Laura free and making her realize she can do something with her life. At first she did everything she could to avoid talking to Jim. They were eventually isolated in a room and began conversating. Jim gave her great advice that led to her gaining confidence, and self-esteem. Telling her she was beautiful. He made her realize being self-conscience about something so little is whats been holding her back all these years. She started to see that’s she’s like all the other women out there. He offered her a dance and she accepted. It soon led to a kiss that really flattered Laura. One of the things that they talked about was Laura’s glass animal collection. She had all kinds of little animal ornaments made of glass that she called her glass menagerie. She showed him her favorite one; it was the only one with a horn on it, the unicorn. She expressed how important it was to her. The irony in this story is when Laura and Tom are dancing and they bump the table and knock the glass unicorn down and the horn breaks. Now that unico...