From the combination of autobiographical narrative and dialogue of "The Glass Menagerie," readers experience a melding of fact and emotion that provides insight into the entrapped nature of its characters' existences. Tom can be portrayed as a sympathetic character, bound like a slave serving his family, or as an evil, heartless egoist when he abandons them. In a similar light, Gregor, from "The Metamorphosis," has a dual nature of self-sacrifice for his family and selfish self-preservation to pursue his own dreams and stop providing for them. Using textual evidence, relate these two characters and then take a stance of Tom as a selfless victim, selfish villain, or combination of the two.
Posted by: Anna Cait and Alexander
You can reference the linked critical article below to aid in your understanding of Tom (username and password: nsacademy)
Notice the emotions of the characters in the above video
Tom and Gregor exemplify neither “Christian matry[s]” nor the personas of villainous “czar[s] of the underworld” but rather the emotionally bereft and besieged modernist and post-modernist tragic heroes (iii.1986, 1988). Both live in “…one of those vast hivelike conglomerations of cellular lining-units that flower as warty growths…”, and both must shoulder responsibility as men for the financial well-fare of their reliant families (i.1978). In fact, Gregor and Tom differ only in a few manners: their language, amount of family members, and jobs. Otherwise, they are indistinguishable. The two men wallow in vocations contrary to their own desires to support the almost ungrateful and dependent family members they must return to every evening: Gregor in his sales position that he says “…can go to Hell!” and Tom to a job that he’d rather have “somebody [pick] up a crowbar and [batter] out [his] brains” than work (Kafka 4, Williams iii.1988). However, Tom and Gregor’s dead-end jobs only scrape the tip of the iceberg of dissatisfaction they feel within their despondent lives. Dreams of matrimony, families, and self-actualization through the realization of their true professions are cast aside in the face of their overbearing parents and the financial woes that have stricken their kin. All of these factors contribute to the confinement that O’Connor explores in her criticism. But where does this confinement lead? Just as Hughes asked in his poem “Dream Deferred”, what happens to these two individuals that must delay their hopes? Sadly for Gregor and contrary to Hughes’ conjecture of explosion, he implodes, becoming the embodiment of the life that he has lived: servile, disgusting, and menial. A cockroach. Tom, luckily, escapes the responsibilities thrust upon him by life and “…traveled around a great deal” but always with the image of Laura following him, reminding him of the abandonment he cast upon her (vii.2021). The modern reader cannot label these two dynamic characters as good or evil, but simply as individuals who forged their own paths in a world that attempted to force them into one category.
ReplyDeleteThe common theme running through society today is the necessity of a male to take care of his family as his father ages, becomes sick, separates, or leaves the family unit. The natural desire, a Freudian instinct, to provide for loved ones is apparent in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” just as it can be seen in “The Metamorphosis” and in “The Glass Menagerie.” All three stories coincide as Biff and Happy, Gregor, and Tom struggle to take care of the family unit. For Gregor and Tom this means totally providing for their family. They are both the only sons deriving from “cellular living-units” (I. 2) in the urban area. Although their environment is not the greatest they continue to put the majority of their lives aside in order to keep up and fit into societal constraints. For Gregor, his break and escape comes from transforming into a roach, but Tom’s only escape derives from standing on the fire escape and going out, to drink and see movies. Both experience a total release when exiled from normal society and leaving home, respectively. Tom compares his life to a coffin and pleads to Laura, “get me out of this 2 by 4 situation!” (IV. 26-27) His comparison to a coffin and dying can find a basis in the premise that his sister and mother are killing him, and that he feels claustrophobic. It is ironic that the only way in and out of the house is by way of the fire escape. The house as Tom sees it is constantly on fire, he can never find peace within it, and because he is in this “2 by 4 situation” he feels as if he will die trapped within the house, which for him is a small place and can feel like a coffin, symbolizing death, without any escape, even though he uses the fire escape every day to come in and out of the house. Tom is selfish for leaving, however if he had stayed he would have only continued to sick nails into his own coffin.
ReplyDeleteBoth Gregor and Tom are burdened with the responsibility of their family. As a result of this load, Gregor follows the same schedule everyday and lives a robotic life. Even though Tom is not as constricted as Gregor, he, too,sacrifices his true interests in order to support the family . A similarity between the two is the love they hold for their sisters. One of Gregor’s purposes in supporting the family is to get his sister involved in music lessons because Gregor believes that his sister can excel in this field. This can be paralleled with Tom’s life especially when he brings the suitor, Jim, for Laura to try to find her the “perfect man” to ensure a secure future for her. Both Gregor and Tom take different turns in life as each of the respective stories begin to culminate. Gregor finally comes in touch with his inner soul while Tom pursues hisinterests as he becomes independent as he says, "good-bye" (VII, 2021), to his house. Tom is an epitome of both the selfless victim and the selfish villain. Tom easily gives into his mother’s orders as he sacrifices his own interests and he goes "for sixty-five dollars a month... [he] give[s] up all that...[he] dream[s] of doing" (III, 1988). At the same time, he is shown squandering his money in the free time he gets. Tom has a habit of going to the movies frequently. Amanda scolds Tom every time he leaves because this would save the house money because they can hardly make a living off of Tom’s salary. However, he ignores her and continues this practice. Tom also is negligent towards paying the house bills as he uses the money for his Union of Merchant Seaman, "dues instead of the light bill"(VI, 2006) .He does not pay the bills because he "will not be here" (VI, 2006), when the lights actually are shut off. Such characteristi cs allow him to be classified as the selfish villain yet his care for his sister and supporting his family make him the selfless victim.
ReplyDeleteTom’s life parallels Gregor’s life in “The Metamorphosis” in a multitude of ways. Both Tom and Gregor are forced to give up their freedom in order to help their struggling families. Both Gregor and Tom dislike their job immensely, and wish for something better in their life. Tom commonly expresses his dissatisfaction in life as a result of working a confined menial job at the warehouse, “Adventure is something I don’t have much of at work…I like a lot of adventure” (IV. 65-70). Also Gregor and Tom try to escape their misery, but in different ways. Gregor transforms into a vile bug and eventually escapes his misery by dying, while Tom leaves behind his mundane job and runs away from his family, responsibilities, and home. Delving deeper into the character of Tom, one can see that he is both a conglomeration of a selfless victim and a selfish villain. Tom gives up his entire life to work a job he does not like, and is constantly ordered around by his unappreciative mother which makes him a selfless victim. However, Tom is a selfish villain and uses up a lot of the money he makes, “…going to the movies” (IV. 36). Tom is also a selfish villain because he constantly complains about how much he hates his life at home and his job, which results in his fragile sister crying because, “She has an idea that [Tom is] not happy here” (IV. 59). It is quite apparent in “The Glass Menagerie” that Tom is both a selfless victim because he gives up his freedom to work for his struggling family, and also a selfish villain because he constantly complains about his unpleasant life whenever an opportunity arises.
ReplyDeleteGregor, the protagonist from Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and Tom in Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” greatly differ. Gregor encompasses all the ideals of a farming family’s work mule. He is grossly overworked, incredibly loyal, and he is given very little appreciation for what he does for his family. After he turned into a vermin, he was abandoned by is family because he was of no use to them anymore, similar to how a dying, decrepid mule would be treated. Still, Gregor persisted to maintain his loyalty to his family. He was even devastated because he was saving up to send his sister to school to perfect her musical skills. Of all the things Gregor should have worried about (his well-being, and the fact that he was a vermin) he worried about a trivial inconvenience to his sister. Gregor was the sympathetic character that truly was concerned about the well-being of his family. Tom, on the other hand, failed to always have his family’s best interests at heart. He often sought other forms of entertainment even when his family needed his help, such as his common escape when he says, “I have been to the movies.” (1989). Tom’s family is financially struggling when he decides to waste his money on mindless entertainment. Tom lives vicariously through Hollywood’s interpretations of adventures; “People go to the movies instead of moving! Hollywood characters are supposed to have the adventures for everyone in America, while everybody in America sits in a dark room and watches them have them!” (2005). Tom chooses to escape from the problems that shroud his family; which include a delusional mother and a sister with disabilities. Tom does work to bring money back to the family, but he wastes some of it just to escape his problems. Tom is a villain for his lack of concern for his family and his selfish nature.
ReplyDelete@Bracey: I agree. The 2 are very similar. I enjoyed reading your well-supported view that they were neither evil nor heroes, but rather just individuals finding their own way in the human experience.
ReplyDelete@Lauren: Great descriptions of Tom's entrapment. You do an excellent job portraying him as the tragic hero.
@Prutha: Love the incorporation and evaluation of the sisters roles' in the entrapment of both Tom and Gregor.
@Tasha: Well-supported outline on the dual-sided personality of Tom. He truly does struggle between victim and villain.
@Tyler: I enjoyed reading your unique viewpoint. I have to agree, after reading your post, that Gregor does work hard until he it is no longer physically possible while Tom persistently runs from his problems.
Everyone wants to be free; everyone wants the opportunity to do things in order to pursue their own happiness. In a family, each member has their own roll. It is easy to fall dependent on one person to do most of the work, but at the end of the day, it is not fair on that one person. They deserve to be able to be their own person, regardless of what anyone else has to say. This is true with regards to the characters Tom Wingfield in the play The Glass Menagerie and Gregor Samsa in story The Metamorphosis. Both characters families depend on them for their income. It is apparent that the characters both love their families, but they just desire to be free and just live independently.
ReplyDeleteWanting to be able to do for ones self is not something that should be looked upon as being selfish. Tom “likes a lot of adventure” and does not want to be contained by his warehouse job (1993). Constant nagging and fighting from his mother, Amanda, just distances him even further. She wants him to “overcome selfishness” because she believes that all he ever thinks about is himself. What she does not do is look at the situation from a different prospective. Is Tom wanting to leave really an act of selfishness? She should consider herself being selfish for trying to hold him back from his dreams and goals. The same situation applies to Gregor. He puts his dreams aside and works in a boring job. He wants to be able to live for himself, but he does not want to disappoint his family, especially his sister.
Tom and Gregor are neither totally selfish or victims, they are a combination of both. Being selfish would mean that they do not care for their families and only for themselves. This obviously not true because both characters started working in order to support their families. They are victims because of the love they have. They do not want to hurt the ones they love, so instead they put aside their personal goals in order to make sure that their families are ok and safe. That action is something that should be respected. Initially selfishness is the view that comes to mind, but the situation needs to be looked at through a different prospective. After coming about the reasons for their actions, it is apparent that self-sacrifice due to the love for their families was there. Both Tom and Gregor have taken care of their families, they deserve to be able to do something to pursue their personal dreams of freedom and independence.
Both Gregor in “The Metamorphosis” and Tom in “The Glass Menagerie” play an important role in uncovering more about their families’ characteristics. The households look down on their sons, even though they are both the “breadwinners” and source of income. The main reason why Gregor and Tom are employed in occupations they despise is because they feel obligated to serve their families.
ReplyDeleteTom’s pessimistic attitude towards life is shown through his lack of commitment in work. He believes he is working hard to “pay the rent on [the house] and making a slave [out] of himself” (III. 1987) to support his family, but in reality his mother does not appreciate his profession since she constantly complains of his negative demeanor towards hard work and success. In addition, Gregor is overly attached to his job, yet he continues to work in his career for the benefit of his family. After his transformation, he insists on continuing his family duty, but his household is repulsed by his outward appearance and treats him with no respect, leaving him to be thrown out after his death. The family relies on Gregor as their supply for revenue yet uses him for their personal benefit, not even acknowledging his dedication towards his family’s happiness, which is similar to Tom’s situation within “The Glass Menagerie.”
There are many tensions created within the household because of Gregor and Tom’s inability to live up to their family’s expectations as their source of income. Amanda, Tom’s mother, is constantly disappointed in her son’s efforts to be the “man” of the house. He routinely visits the “movies” instead of concentrating his time with his job, which causes many verbal fights between Tom and Amanda. She does not want him to “jeopardize [his] job” (III. 1988) or “jeopardize the security of [the family]” (III. 1988) because she is uncertain of how [the household] “will manage” (III. 1988). In a moment of anger, Tom expresses his resentment towards the duties that are expected from him. He becomes frustrated with his mother’s accusations and claims he is “leading a double life,” (III. 1988) a “warehouse worker by day, by night a dynamic czar of the underworld” (III. 1988). Tom’s sarcastic tone aligns with his inability to take his job seriously. He desires to become free from his obligations to his family and benefit himself. In comparison with Tom’s character, Gregor’s family, specifically his father, refuses to socialize and even acknowledge this creature as his son. Mr. Samsa even physically abuses Gregor, “the apple” ( Kafka 37) embedded in [his] skin reminds everyone in the family that regardless of Gregor’s “pathetic and repulsive shape, (37) he is still a blood relation who cannot be “treated as an enemy” (37). Unfortunately, his family has no choice but to recognize their son’s transformation, but not accept it, even though he worked hard in his job and sacrificed his own happiness for their own.
Both Gregor and Tom learn to serve their families in different ways. Consequently, Gregor’s guilt internally tears him apart since he no longer obtains success in his job and cannot be the “breadwinner” in his household, which ultimately causes his death. On the contrary, Tom finally realizes his desire to relieve himself of all family duties and leaves his family to fend for themselves and find another source of income. Tom is seen as a selfless victim for being thrown into the world to care for his family after his father deserted them. He was forced to fulfill obligations through a job he despised and only wanted to follow his own ambitions and aspirations.
Wonderful job everyone! These analyses are role models for future comments.
ReplyDeleteBracey: Excellent weaving of quotes to support your analysis of the characters’ juxtaposing personalities; nice relating of Tom and Gregor’s vocation, oppressing families, and delayed dreams; ideal usage of the ghostly memories of Laura that haunt Tom’s conscience after he is “freed” to demonstrate his internal goodness, and thus the gray area of his and Gregor’s situation
Lauren: intuitive inclusion of Miller’s work and Freudian instinct to support Tom and Gregor’s patriarchal struggle to meet society’s expectations of them; nice implementation of quotes to demonstrate Tom’s entrapment and metaphorical curation; insightful point regarding the fire escape and its symbolism; way to take a stance of him as the selfish character who acts in self-preservation
Prutha: perceptive discernment of the two bread winners concern for their sisters to add the selflessness into their selfish retreat; accurate concrete evidence of the failure to pay the utilities bill in anticipation of Tom’s abandonment
Tasha: nice parallel to the transformative escapes of both characters from dissatisfaction; canny proposal of the conglomerative qualities that present Tom of a palpable character filled with right and wrong; perspicacious inclusion of the sister’s personal sorrows regarding her brother to demonstrate his unhappiness
Tyler: avant-garde comparison of Gregor to a loyal, unappreciated, and overworked mule; way to take a stand of Tom as an egotistical character who lives wastes his life by pursuing unfulfilling movies and then supporting it with factual evidence
Taylor: outstanding weaving of quotes into your literary tapestry to demonstrate Tom’s urge for change and the mother’s malaise regarding her son’s outwardly frivolous behavior; wonderful change of perspective of the mother’s responsibility in driving her son away- this shows your ability to delve beyond the outward selfishness of Tom and portray his victimization and love for his family
Caroline: ideal melding of Tom and Gregor’s family tensions that morph them into the into their molded forms; great parallel to Gregor’s father and Tom’s mother; nicely supported opinion of Tom’s victimization by factual evidence
Although we may not want to admit it, we are all somewhat selfish in life. Sometimes our personal values and dreams take priority over others and, even though it is criticized in society, there is nothing wrong with that. It is human nature. This "happiness for self" ideal is no different in both, "The Glass Menagerie" and "Metamorphosis." Tom in "The Glass Menagerie" and Gregor in "Metamorphosis" both embody this constant struggle of wanting to appease one's self while still assuring your loved ones are happy themselves. Tom desires to leave his "confinement" of a house and experience the world. However, his sister Laura keeps pulling him back into staying. Gregor deals with the same thoughts. While he would love to get a girlfriend and travel the world, he feels an obligation to support his family. His sister, too, is the one he loves the most within his family. Tom eventually reaches a breaking point when he lashes out at Amanda for questioning him. "I'm going to opium dens! Yes, opium dens, dens of vice and criminals' hangouts, Mother. I've joined the Hogan gang, I'm a hired assassin..I'm leading a double-life, a simple, honest warehouse worker by day, by night a czar of the underworld." (Scene III, pg. 1988) This sarcastic analyzation of himself expresses Tom's frustration with his family and living conditions. His repeated condemnation and evilness towards Laura and Amanda have led me to classify Tom as a "selfish villain." Yes, it is important to have dreams in life and to never let those slip away. However, just because your are unable to attain those dreams yet does not give you the right to lash out at the ones that love you the most. This is the action of Tom. He has no patience. Life requires patience as each of us has our struggles and low points. What comforts us in these times is the knowing that there will soon be a high point, a significant point. Tom fails to realize this and instead releases his frustration upon his sister and mother. While he expresses his love for Laura at the end of the play, he never once expressed any affection towards her during the play. On the contrary, he destroyed her most prized possession, her glass menagerie. One can say he loves someone or something all he wants but, until they truly show this, these words fall on deaf ears. Tom ends the play cruelly leaving his family. What type of love is this? Even though Laura and Amanda had done nothing but support Tom, he still treated them like scum. This is not love. Tom was not a victim of his mother and sister. He was a victim of himself. He made himself believe it was their fault he was not accomplishing his dreams. He chose to blame them and his "confinement" within the household for not achieving better things in life. Tom Wingfield could have achieved much more within the household. He only victimized himself and chose to disbelief this.
ReplyDeleteWithin “The Glass Menagerie” and “Metamorphosis” there is the common thread of self-sacrificing victims when analyzing the main characters. Both Tom in “The Glass Menagerie” and Gregor in “Metamorphosis” suffer hardships and neglect from their own families. Having to work in the warehouse against his own true desires limits Tom’s aspirations of being something great. Tom’s emotions start to “boil” and he “[shudders] a little thinking how short life is and what [he is doing]” because he feels his true purpose in life is not to serve for his family even though that is what they called him to do(4.1993). Tom battles against his ultimate reality and screaming emotions of defeat caused by his family holding him back and strapping him down to the warehouse job. On contrast, Gregor is fighting the same battle in his family. Gregor “saved the money to pay off the debt [his parents] owe [his boss]” (8). His future is also halted by the constant restriction upheld by his boss and his family. After he transforms into a roach unexpectedly, Gregor is unable to perform his duties as the family money-maker. Because he is deemed useless, his family is ashamed and finds him more of a burden than ever. Both families do not show the true appreciation deserved for both Tom and Gregor. They are seen as victims who sacrifice their desires and aspirations for the goodness of their families
ReplyDeleteI finally got onto my account!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteTom in “A Glass Menagerie” and Gregor in “Metamorphosis both live their lives solely for others. Though they both despise it greatly, despise this cumbersome task they take on the role of the “male figure” and provide for the less capable. This leads to both men hating their lives and living for something they truly do not believe in. this causes both severe depression, and leads to Gregor’s death and Tom’s departure from his former life. One morning when Gregor undergoes his metamorphosis into a vermin he realizes, what a grueling job I’ve picked…the upset of doing business is much worse than the actual business at home”(4). Gregor comes to the conclusion that his job is the bane of his existence. Even though going to work makes Gregor resent his existence. Tom regrets living his life for his mother and sister to the point where he deserts the family for his own needs. Because of this, I see Tom as a victim of the burden of his family that turns him into a villain as he disregards their feelings and leave. Before Tom leaves, he was frequently going off to the movies to escape the situation he was in. Tom was merely a victim of the circumstances surrounding him. Jacqueline O’Connor in her critical essay of “A Glass Menagerie” called “Confinement and Isolation in Menagerie” talks about Tom’s resentments toward his mother. O’Connor states, om speaks frequently about the confinement that keeps him from fulfilling his dreams. In scene three, he berates his mother for the lack of privacy he feels in the apartment”(1). Because Tom is trapped like an animal, he feels the needs to leave his life more and more. This added to the strong feeling of obligation he feels towards his family contributes to his misery.
Kafka's Gregor in "The Metamorphosis" and Tom Williams' "The Glass Menagerie," both repress their passions into order to provide a life for their their families, while their own lives are lost. Gregor lives an unbearable life for his families sake, all the while he his miserable in his own skin in his job that he chooses but is actually chosen for him by his father. Gregor's death in the end after his transformation into a bug is ultimately ironic, as his family's ignorance of his needs leads him to the death. Their dependence on him and his providence is not taken into consideration when he needs the same in turn. The same goes for Tom "Who pays rent on it, who makes a slave of himself..." (1987) for their house and everyday lives. He puts his own dreams and aspirations aside in order to help his mother and sister, who see him as a villain. Tom's desertion of his family is similar to Gregor's eventual death in that neither are given any affection or appreciation in return. Tom is ultimately a victim of abuse, emotional abuse. Amanda puts huge amounts of pressure on him while she still depends on him. She treats him poorly and hovers over him even though he is grown. Amanda traps him by making him feel guilty about his sister Laura; he feels that "There is a trick that would come in handy for [him]- [to] get [him] out of this 2 by 4" (1990). Amanda, whose personality is already arrogant to begin with, traps Tom and keeps him from his own life, but he finally breaks free.
ReplyDeleteMcLeod: great analysis of Tom’s frustrations with his life and treatment of family as a scapegoat; nice job in supporting the idea that Tom victimizes himself to rationalize his “villainous” attitude towards his family
ReplyDeleteKelsie: good point of the under appreciation of Tom and Gregor’s families and the initial sacrifice both undergo for their unloving loved ones
Cassie: excellent inclusion of points in O’Connor’s critical essay and paraphrasing of Tom’s matriarchal inflicted frustrations; interesting point of the progression from victim to villain
Kelsey: astute targeting of the unloved and unappreciated state Tom endures as a catalyst in his liberation; accurate inclusion of his mother’s pressuring nature that practically drives him from the home
Outstanding job, everyone! Special thanks to the awesome BLOG administrators!!!
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