In this scene, she is deliberately planting an idea in Laura's head that someone will show up out of the blue and ask for her hand in marriage. Even Laura knows that the likelihood for this occurring is small. Even when Jim enters into the picture, Amanda puts all of her faith into him marrying Laura without knowing anything about him or his feelings. Tom needs to find an escape from his mother and he does so by leaving home as often as possible. His greatest escapes are going to the movies and spending time of the fire escape. The pressure of taking care of the family proves to be too much for Tom as he tells Amanda that if he were thinking of himself as much as she accused him of doing so, he would be like his father, who is "gone! As far as the system of transportation reaches!" (981). Tom is plagued with the dread of what kind of life he lives with his mother and sister along with the pressure to care for them since he is the only man in the family. This pressure causes Tom to drink excessively and escape to world that does not exist in the movies. Willy and Amanda do not intentionally set out to be detriments to their families. They have the best intentions but that is simply not enough. In Death of a Salesman, Willy has good intentions, but he chooses to believe the lie that things will get better for him tomorrow. He tells his wife, "The trouble was that three of the stores were half-closed for inventory in Boston. Otherwise, I woulda broke records" (1046). He admits, "people don't seem to take to me" (1047) and they laugh at him. He also states that the people he works with "just pass me by. I'm not noticed" (1047). He knows the truth but he simply cannot bring himself to believe it. In the Glass Menagerie, Amanda accuses Tom of being a "selfish dreamer" (1024) but it is her...
Amanda cannot deal with the truth about Laura so she chooses to believe that her prince charming will magically appear and take care of their family for the rest of their lives. These parents do more harm than good to their families because they cannot face certain truths about their lives.
American Dream' is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with the opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but
Keller's morals are good -- he does not merely seek to win glory for himself, like the simplistic motivation of the man in the fable, he wished to 'make good' for all of his sons. But greed, ambition for his family and himself, and foolishness took hold instead. He loses his sons because of his actions, one of them to suicide, and the others emotionally. Keller's son Chris likewise is
Male Figures In works of fiction, the hero's journey will always be fraught with danger. He will not only have to overcome his own shortcomings, but will also encounter individuals who hope to impede his journey and prevent him from accomplishing his goals or individuals who will help them overcome their obstacles and succeed. Literature throughout history and literature that transcends cultures exhibit this same proclivity. Each component of the
Future King Book II: "The Queen of Air and Darkness," Character Flaws Morgause raises four boys. She is not a good mother, and she does not give her boys a sense of right and wrong. She often ignores them for days at a time and beats them when they displease her. She acts as if they were pets rather than human beings, to be loved or not at her convenience. But despite
" The point made by the poet is similar to the poem above. The reference to John, The Father of our souls, shall be, John tells us, doth not yet appear; is a reference to the Book of Revelations, at the end of the Bible. That despite the promises of an Eternal life for those who eschew sin, we are still frail and have the faults of people. We are still besought by sin
"Arthurian female heroes, contrariwise, exist (at least for a time) as active helpers to male heroes, but always in the service of the patriarchal culture the hero upholds" (Fries, 3). One could argue that since this universe is thus so narrow for women, that embodying these counter-hero roles is actually the one way in which women can become empowered. Since autonomy and self-determination does not so strongly exist for
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