The Glass Menagerie

In his opening monologue, Tom explains that the events of the play are a memory. Tom’s location in time is perpetually unclear, and at the end of the play, he says, “Time is the longest distance between two places” (784). The passage of time has moved him farther and farther away from the actual events, but memory keeps them close. Time also distorts memory, which the play depicts through the conventions of expressionism—a means that works to convey an unreliable narrative, warped by Tom’s perspective and hindsight. He admits that, as a poet, he has imposed poetic symbolism. When Tom left his mother and sister, he had to be ruthless and save himself. This raises the question as to what his memory changes in recounting the moments that led up to his escape. In Tom’s version, his escape is justified. Amanda is overbearing, unreasonable, and at times, delusional. Laura, although seemingly hopelessly helpless, appears to have achieved a new level of self-reliance after the evening with Jim. The Laura who gives Jim her broken unicorn and smiles at her mother seems like a young woman who will survive without her brother.