since I am on a roll with this whole making connections in other literature and such, I figured I might as well go for a hat trick and make this third blog about Walter and Tom from the Glass Menagerie.
Tom and Walter both have a dream- which is to get the heck outta their current living conditions. Tom is a grown man living with his obsessive mom- who can blame him on that one? Walter on the other hand is a relatively poor black man living with his mom, wife, and sister in one small apartment. Walter desperately wants to get his family out of their financial struggle by opening up a business. He tells Travis that he is going to change their lives with his new business transaction (pg 108). This is a classic example of how Walter is always trying to appear to be some hero. Both men are pretty dang unhappy with their lives. Tom isn't as selfish as Walter. To treat himself, Tom indulges in a night at the movies.. or the bar??.. almost seven nights a week. Walter also treats himself to a little bit of drinking every once in awhile. By the end of both plays, Walter and Tom make drastic moves (pretty selfishly) that affect their whole family. In the Glass Menagerie Tom simply leaves home- fulfilling his dream. Walter spends his mother's money on an investment in a liquor store- which doesn't exactly solve any problems. But, these similarities are pretty significant. In both plays the man of the family is tired with the life they live and desires a change. They make a bold move in order to reach for their goals.
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