The Glass Menagerie

Scene 3 analysis by Chanelle Katsidzira

Play by Tennessee Williams

 The Glass Menagerie: Scene 3
Scene summary

Tempers flare as true feelings are expressed between mother and son in this scene.
Amanda does not appreciate Tom’s creative passions and suspects that the reason he
always goes out and claims to be going to the movies is because he really is doing
something he is ashamed of; something he should not be doing. She accuses him of
selfishness and Tom is beyond offended by all of her accusations at this point. In his
heated anger and frustration he says some hurtful things to his mother, specifically
calling her an “ugly -blabbing old- witch”. In his furious delirium Tom accidentally
strikes Laura’s glass collection shelf, shattering a few. Amanda is evidently hurt by
Tom’s words and woundedly says that she will not talk to him again until he
apologises. The scene ends with an upset Laura hugging her shelf while Tom
awkwardly and shamefully kneels to pick up the glass.
 The Glass Menagerie: Scene 3
Character Evaluation: Tom

• It’s clear that Tom gets easily annoyed by his mother, especially in this scene. In the movie
adaptation of 1987 by John Molvokovich the fight starts because Amanda (mother) comes
in while Tom is writing his poetry, and immediately starts fussing over him and telling him
to keep himself looking presentable just like his father used to.
• Because Tom takes his creative passion seriously (and no one else does), it makes sense
that he got so riled up by how his mother disrespected his books.
• Tom seems to grow more agitated every time his mother compares him to his father. She is
always accusing him of some form of selfishness. Tom probably feels as though she takes
his efforts for granted because of the way she always drags herself and his sister into the
picture anytime Tom tries to do anything for himself; using it as a weight to stop him from
doing what he wants.
 The Glass Menagerie: Scene 3
Character Evaluation: Tom

• Tom obviously uses the movies as an escape. It is unclear whether he really goes to
them or not, but the main goal is to leave the house. He does this when he wants to
get away from his mother. In this particular scene he actually says “No, I won’t hear
more, I’m going out!” And seems desperate to leave the place at once.
• Despite his boldness of expression with his mother, Tom does seem to have some
respect for her. He has to catch himself anytime he is about to say something she
warns against. An example is the part when he is trying to point out that he pays the
rent so the house is technically his but Amanda won’t let him finish the sentence. His
response to that is “No, no, I mustn’t say these things...”. This can be taken as sarcasm
because he was obviously annoyed but he did end up not finishing the statement.
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Character Evaluation: Tom

• Another sign that Tom does respect his mother is how he clearly expresses that his
own patience, like hers, was at its end. Instead of losing his temper at her he then
moves on to trying to make her see that what he is doing is not a problem, but then
she cuts him off.
• After more quarreling and ridiculous accusations Tom finally loses his cool and in
the heat of the moment, calls his mother an “ugly -blabbering old- witch...” For such
words to have come from his mouth, Tom certainly had to have reached his peak
because it is obvious that he would never had done it if Amanda didn’t push him
over the edge. In fact, this may be what he has been trying to avoid all along by
leaving the house often.
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Character Evaluation: Tom

• One of the things that angers Tom the most even throughout the whole text is the way his mother
always compares him to his father whenever she disapproves of something he does. In the movie
adaptation of 1987 by John Molvokovich she even says that the only respect in which she would
want Tom to emulate his father is his neatness.
• This shows that Tom obviously yearns for his mother’s approval but never seems to get it. She
criticizes his every move and maybe that’s why he appears to be rude to her most times, as a way
to avoid giving her the chance to shut him down.
• Tom is compassionate and really cares for his sister. When he accidentally upsets her glass
collection shelf and sees her distress the anger immediately dissipates from him and is replaced
with shame and he seems willing to apologise. This contrasts sharply with how he reacts to his
mother’s distress when he hurts her feelings. He was far less remorseful and was reluctant to
apologise.
 The Glass Menagerie: Scene 3
Character Evaluation: Amanda (Mother)

• She is fussy about everything and seems to want the best for her children, especially Laura. The way she
always criticizes Tom may be out of love but she is unknowingly expressing her lack of appreciation for
her son’s efforts.
• In this scene she the audience does not understand why she and her son are arguing, but the movie
adaptation of 1987 by John Molvokovich show’s her critical ways to have been the cause of the fight in this
scene. In the movie she interrupts Tom’s creative time to make him neaten himself and remarks that
neatness is the only respect in which she wants him to emulate his father.
• Amanda constantly compares Tom to his father and this can be perceived in many ways. It could be that
she does it with no ill intent, but simply because her faithless husband is the only man she can use as a
guiding template to raise her son. For this it is possible that she does not understand the psychological
effects this has on Tom. Another reason for comparison could be that she has not moved on from her
husband, and so a Tom is probably a constant reminder of him. Maybe she is subconsciously punishing
him for his father’s mistakes. Again she is probably oblivious to the psychological effects of this on Tom.
 The Glass Menagerie: Scene 3
Character Evaluation: Amanda (Mother)

• Amanda seems to see Tom as more of a support system than a son. She fears a hard life more than
she values Tom’s own desires. This is evident when she says “What right do you have to jeopardize
your job? Jeopardize the security of us all?...” She does not care that Tom does not like his job. It
should be noted that there are more instances in the text when she expresses that she wants Tom
to keep them afloat so he cannot just do whatever he wants.
• This depicts that Amanda actually sees her son as a substitute husband. She puts all of the
burdens meant for his father on him. Even the way she converses with him and constantly fights
with him is the behaviour expected of a wife to her husband, not a mother to her son.
• Amanda does not trust her son. She believes he always has selfish intentions and probably expects
him to betray them just like his father did. This signals that the trauma of her husband’s
abandonment still upsets her and that she does not have a healthy way to deal with her emotions
and so releases her frustrations on her son.
 The Glass Menagerie: Scene 3
Character Evaluation: Amanda (Mother)

• Amanda is a driven woman. When she wants something she does whatever she can to make it
happen. This scene is a prime example of how she can get when she really wants something
because Tom tells the audience that “the idea of getting a gentleman caller for Laura ... became an
obsession.” In another part of the text she actually begs Tom to get his sister a gentleman caller
and does not see how inappropriate it would be because already had the idea set in her mind.
• It is clear that the woman’s convictions did not change easily. Perhaps that can help to explain why
she can never see Tom’s point of view.
• When Tom calls her an “ugly -blabbering old- witch” she is evidently wounded and upset. She vows
to never speak to Tom again until he apologises, and in the movie adaptation of 1987 by John
Molovokovich she says it tearfully. This is a surprisingly unnatural state of the woman since she is
usually bright and quick to find a solution.
 The Glass Menagerie: Scene 3
Character Evaluation: Amanda (Mother)

• This expresses that no matter how much she fought with her son she still did value his
respect for her. So to have him insult her the way he did must have revealed the death of
his remaining respect for her.
• In a later scene when Tom finally does apologise she expresses that she was only trying
to be a good parent and so to be called an ugly old witch for it really upset her
 The Glass Menagerie: Scene 3
Character Evaluation: Laura

• In this scene she rarely appears but is present in the background.

• Throughout all of Tom’s and Amanda’s arguing she is not seen to intervene or even be paying
attention, although the nature of Laura would suggest that she was aware of what was
happening but too anxious to intervene
• Proof that she was aware of the argument and listening is how she desperately yells Tom’s
name when he starts to leave while he and their mother are still arguing. After that she is quiet
until the moment her shelf is upset and her glass figurines shatter.
• In the movie adaptation of 1987 by John Molovokovich however, she is shown to simply be
sitting on the couch (which doubles as her bed) and looking down at her lap as the argument
comes to the living room when Tom is trying to leave. The audience can assume that she was
reading a book or just avoiding looking up due to anxiety.
 The Glass Menagerie: Scene 3
Character Evaluation: Laura

• Laura probably wants to stop the fight but it seems that she just does not have the
courage to do so. Her character is known to suffer in silence in many other instances in the
text, such as her typewriting class fail situation.
• It is hinted throughout the text that Laura’s social anxiety and overall lack of confidence
comes from her physical defect which seems to be amplified in her perspective. It scan be
noted that on in the text, her unknowingly arranged gentleman caller Jim helps Laura
realize that she suffered an inferiority complex.
• The only thing that manages to break Laura free from her anxiety freeze is the harm done
to her glass figurines and this shows that that is where her passion lies. It is also made
evident in how they are the only thing she can talk about confidently and comfortably, the
main example being when Jim got her to loosen up by letting her talk about them.
 The Glass Menagerie: Scene 3
Plot Development / Theories:

• Maybe their father left because Amanda was fussy - judging by the way Amanda treats
Tom, it is possible that she was just as exhausting to her husband, and that may have
been what drove him away forever. Since we are not given any explanation as to why he
just takes off, this would make sense. Another supporter of this theory is the way Tom
himself ends up just taking off after more accusations from his mother.
• Foreshadowing when Amanda accuses Tom of being just like his father - Tom always
gets extra riled up at the comparison to his father and it is clear that he developed a
spite towards his mother, especially in this scene. He wildly defends himself and actually
states that if he were as selfish as she claims, he would have left. Considering the high
tension between him and his mother and Tennessee Williams’ knack for ending plays on
a realistic note in can perhaps be predicted that Tom does leave in the end.
 The Glass Menagerie: Scene 3
Plot Development/Theories:

• Foreshadowing when Laura’s glass collection is broken - towards the end of the
text, Laura’s favourite figurine breaks and it is symbolic of her character growth.
The part in this scene when Tom upsets the shelf should tell the audience that
the glass collection will not last forever.
• Passion is a common drive in the family - adventure drove the father to leave,
securing a future drives Amanda, creative passion and desire for adventure (or
escape) drives Tom and glass figurines drive Laura to break free from her
crippling social anxiety
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Themes

• Anger
• Selfishness
• Passion
• Mistrust
• Family conflict / dysfunctionality