In Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, Tom tells the story of his youth as an adult, when he was cared for by his mother, Amanda, and his sister, Laura. Because his father left when he was young, Tom found himself in the position of having to support his family by circumstance rather than by choice. Because of this, Tom sees only the negative aspects of his current life and dreams of the freedom to abandon his family like his father did. However, once she finally follows through on her desires and escapes, she can't shake the memory of her sister and the guilt for those she left behind. Because Tom uses the past and future to distract himself from the confines of his subjective reality, he is never able to find peace of mind, proving that a fulfilling life lies in living in the present moment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay By allowing dreams for the future to cloud his judgment, Tom loses sight of the importance of supporting loved ones and providing for his family. Due to his father leaving him, Tom has to financially support the entire family through backbreaking work at the warehouse. He feels suffocated by his family, he exclaims to his mother 'Look! I have nothing, not a single thing... in my life that I can call MY OWN! …Yesterday you confiscated my books!'. He shares his living space with his family, shares money from his job with his unemployed sister and mother, and never receives much credit for the effort he puts in. This isn't to say that Tom's contribution isn't important, but because this story is told from Tom's point of view, it shows that he doesn't feel like he's just getting credit for the work he does. Although his role as narrator may call into question the validity of the events he is recounting, his desire for free will remains a constant motivation for his actions as they occurred and in retrospect. He exclaims: “You think I want to spend fifty-five years down there in that Celotex interior! With – fluorescent – ​​tubes! I wait! I'd rather someone take a crowbar and smash my brains out than have to go back in the morning! He feels attacked on all sides, with his warehouse job sucking the life force away from him and his mother taking away every ounce of freedom he has, whether it's raunchy romances or trying to deny him the luxury of leaving the house at night. For Tom, these past times represent his dreams of a more exciting life, as "adventure is something he doesn't have much experience with at work, so he goes to the movies." The emotion of the lives he sees in films serves as inspiration for the life he wants to live. This inspiration makes it clear that Tom's main obstacle to living this life is his family. But these past times most likely seem like a dangerous influence from Amanda's point of view and she is most likely just trying to help her son. However, it is particularly evident from his memories of the events that Tom never takes the time to consider this and only views his mother's actions from a more negative perspective. As the show progresses, Tom becomes increasingly disillusioned with the life he lives and the lack of gratitude for his efforts, leading him "to the point of committing to a future that doesn't include the warehouse and Mr. Mendoza or even a night class to speak in public.” He has no idea what his future will be or what it will mean for him, but in that moment he feels that anything is preferable to staying at home with his family. This vision of the future as an indistinct experience positive full of adventures is not only amistake, but it is at the root of the damage it will cause to the family that Tom no longer supports. He does not evaluate the risks of his actions and focuses only on the positive aspects, leading to the expected consequences. By abandoning his family, Tom hopes to finally realize his dreams, but finds himself confronted with the consequences of those actions. Disillusioned with his work and social life, Tom considers leaving the family and tells his sister, "You know it doesn't take much intelligence to end up in a nailed coffin, Laura." But who the hell ever managed to get out without removing a nail?' He compares his living situation to a nailed coffin, implying that he cannot escape without removing the nails, or that he cannot leave without harming those he supports. He focuses above all on the consequences of leaving Laura defenseless, already fragile and shy due to her illnesses. But in the end he decides to leave, "going down the steps of the fire escape for the last time and following, from that moment on, in his father's footsteps, trying to find in movement what was lost in space". He searches for the meaning of his life in imagining his future. He doesn't know what he wants, but he can't stand being in his current situation. He takes all that is good for granted and leaves behind his obligations to those who have supported him throughout his life. He leaves behind a trail of negative effects and hopes to focus on his future without dead weight. When he finally decides to escape, Tom can't leave the past behind him. He is filled with guilt and says, “Oh, Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind, but I'm more faithful than I meant to be! I take a cigarette, cross the street, run to the cinema or a bar, buy a drink, talk to the nearest person about anything, anything that can blow out the candles!”. He hoped to shake off the dead weight of supporting others, but instead inherited the burden of guilt of leaving those he loved. She looked into the future and saw her dreams, but in her search she couldn't shake off the memories of the family she had left to fend for herself. He chased an idea that wasn't real, a figment of his imagination of what his life could have been, and left behind everything his life actually was. Everything that gave meaning to his life, like his mother Amanda and his sister Laura, to chase the thrill of freedom. But the emotion wasn't enough to forget, and now Tom uses anything to distract himself from the fact that he left his sister defenseless. He searched for the future, but was unable to shake off the past, leading him to the unsatisfying life he describes. He never achieved peace of mind and never lived in the present moment, always finding a reason to focus on what were essentially faded memories or imaginary scenarios concocted in his head. Through Tom's experience, narrated by Tom himself, the need to live in the present moment is highlighted. In Tom's memory of events, the moments that stood out consisted of moments with his family, rather than moments at the movies. He didn't talk about the nights he left the apartment, only the moments he spent with his family. Even when she broke Laura's glass statues while arguing with her mother and stayed with Laura, she recalls that "Laura clung weakly to the shelf with her face turned" and "then walked over to the shelf" and "dropped awkwardly to her knees to collect the glass figurines" fallen glass, looking at Laura as if she wanted to speak but couldn't. He can't shake the memories of when he disappointed his family and loved ones with his selfish actions. Focusing on arguments and conflicts with his mother, Tom seems to try to justify leaving, but.