In Tennessee Williams' Glass Menagerie, Tom tells the story of his years as a young adult, caring for his mother, Amanda, and his sister , Laura. Because his father left when he was young, Tom found himself in the position of having to provide for his family through circumstances rather than his own choice. Because of this, Tom only sees the negative aspects of his current life and dreams of the freedom of abandoning his family like his father did. However, once he finally achieves his desires and escapes, he cannot shake off his memories of his sister and his guilt towards those he left behind. Because Tom uses the past and future to distract himself from the confines of his subjective reality, he is never able to find peace of mind, demonstrating that a fulfilling life lies in the present moment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay By letting dreams of the future cloud his judgment, Tom loses sight of the importance of supporting and providing for those close to him of his family. Due to his father's departure, Tom must support the entire family financially through backbreaking work at the warehouse. He feels stifled by his family and shouts to his mother: “Look! I have nothing, nothing... in my life that I can call mine! …Yesterday you confiscated my books!'. He shares his living space with his family, shares his work money with his sister and unemployed mother, and never receives much credit for the efforts he puts forth. This isn't to say that Tom's contribution isn't important, but because this story is told from Tom's point of view, it shows that he doesn't feel like he's getting fair credit for the work that he did. 'he accomplished. Although his role as narrator may call into question the validity of the events he recounts, his desire for free will remains. constant motivation for his actions as they occurred and in retrospect. He exclaims, “You think I want to spend fifty-five years down there in that Celotex interior!” With fluorescent tubes! Look! I'd rather have someone take a crowbar and beat my brains out - than go back there in the morning! » He feels attacked from all sides, with his job in a warehouse sucking all his life force out of him and his mother taking away all his freedom, whether it's steamy romances or trying to deny him the luxury of leave the house at night. For Tom, these past times represent his dreams of a more exciting life, because "adventure is something he doesn't get much of at work, so he goes to the movies." The thrill of the lives he sees in films serves as inspiration for the life he wants to live. This inspiration clearly shows that Tom's main obstacle in his life is his family. But these past times most likely seem like a dangerous influence from Amanda's perspective and she's probably only trying to help her son. However, it is particularly clear from his memories of the events that Tom never takes the time to think about them and only views his mother's actions from a more negative perspective. As the play progresses, Tom becomes increasingly disillusioned with the life he leads and the lack of gratitude for his efforts, leading him to the "point of committing to a future that does not include the warehouse and Mr. Mendoza or even a night class in public speaking. He has no idea what his future will be like or what it will mean for him, but at that moment he feels that anything is better than staying at home with his family. This vision offuture as an indistinct positive experience full of adventure is not only a mistake but underlies the harm it will cause to the family that Tom no longer supports. He does not assess the risks of his actions and focuses only on the positive, leading to the expected consequences. By abandoning his family, Tom hopes to finally realize his dreams but finds himself confronted with the consequences of his actions. Disillusioned with his work and social life, Tom considers leaving his family and tells his sister, "You know, it doesn't take much intelligence to put yourself in a nailed coffin, Laura." But who the hell ever got away with it without removing a single nail? He compares his living situation to a nailed coffin, implying that he cannot escape without removing the nails, or that he cannot leave without affecting those he supports. It particularly focuses on the consequences of leaving Laura helpless, already fragile and shy because of her illnesses. But he finally decides to leave, "going down the steps of the fire escape one last time and henceforth following in his father's footsteps, trying to find in movement what was lost in space." He sets out in search of meaning in his life in the imaginations of his future. He doesn't know what he wants, but he can't stand being in his current situation. He takes everything good for granted and leaves behind his obligations to those who have supported him throughout his life. He leaves behind a wake of negative effects and hopes to focus on his future without the dead weight. Once he finally decides to escape, Tom can't leave the past behind. He is filled with guilt and says, "Oh, Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind, but I'm more faithful than I intended to be!" I take a cigarette, I cross the street, I run to the cinema or a bar, I buy a drink, I talk as close as possible about everything, anything that can put out your candles! He hoped to shed the dead weight of supporting others, but instead inherited the weight of guilt of leaving those he loved. He looked into the future and saw his dreams, but in his pursuit he couldn't shake off the memories of the family he left behind to fend for himself. He pursued an idea that wasn't real, a figment of his imagination of what his life could be, and left behind everything his life actually was. Everything that gave meaning to his life, like his mother Amanda and his sister Laura, to chase the thrill of freedom. But the thrill wasn't enough to forget, and now Tom uses anything to distract himself from the fact that he left his sister helpless. He looked to the future, but could not shake the past, which led him to the unsatisfying life he describes. He never achieved peace of mind or lived in the present moment, always finding a reason to focus on what were essentially erased memories or imaginary scenarios concocted in his head. Through Tom's experience, told by Tom himself, the need to live in the present moment is highlighted. In Tom's memory of the events, the moments that stood out were moments with his family, instead of moments at the movies. He didn't talk about the nights he left the apartment, only the times he spent with his family. Even when he broke Laura's glass statues while fighting with his mother and ended up with Laura, he remembers that "Laura clung weakly to the fireplace, her face turned away" , then “walked towards the shelf” and “fell awkwardly to his knees to retrieve the items.” glass fell, glancing at Laura as if he wanted to speak but couldn't. He cannot..