Complicated and Tragic Stories of The Glass Menagerie by...

The universe is believed to consist of sexvigintillion observable atoms or 10^81, humans are one out of 8.7 million species on earth, and you are only one out of 7, 221,306,800 people on earth. With numbers such as these it becomes clear how your life is simply a struggle for existence. In the novel The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Tom, an aspiring writer attempts to survive within the confines of his tiny apartment, and resist his urge to escape. Likewise hundreds of miles away, during a completely separate time a young entrepreneur, Jay Gatsby, struggles to exist within a world of wealth in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Their battle for existence is evident through each authors use of characterization,†¦show more content†¦Even more because he is trapped within his mothers home he is unable to experience life. Toms desire for adventure can also be seen through his constant comparisons between his father and himself, and through his few jealous claims about his fathers ability to just leave. Overall, Toms inability to be independent, and his lack of expression also makes it impossible for Tom to be anyone, or to live because rather than seeing Tom as his own person, his mother views him as an asset. With this attitude Amanda forces Tom into the shadows, where he is unable to truly exist. From beginning to end, the story of Tom, Amanda, and Laura is very life-changing for them, and transformational for the viewers. Tom for example through Williams use of characterization is able to separate himself from a position of submission to dominance. This promotion of sorts is what allows him to conquer his demons, and truly exist. Tom himself is able to do this by joining the Union of Merchant Seamen, which he plans to use as an escape from his mothers suffocating apartment, and his sisters glass menagerie. Also, through Toms leaving the audience is able to see that he has conquered not only his internal, but external conflicts. A manda, his mother of course was Tom external conflict, constantly enacting her power, stress and inabilities upon Tom which was obviously the bigger of his many issues. Next Toms internal conflict was his