Juvenile Justice System Essay, Research Paper
The German playwright, Schiller, once said that in good drama every good character is right. In this paper, I am going to discuss Schiller’s comment with regard to Amanda Wingfield, Laura Wingfield, and Tom Wingfield.
Tom wingfield is a character who exists outside and inside the play’s action at the same time. When you see him standing on the fire escape adjoining the Wingfield apartment, Tom is the narrator. He is outside the action. He is a seasoned merchant sailor who’s traveled on both land and sea. Tom is “right” because he thinks his mother and sister have pointless lives. He’s never had a father figure to be a role model, and his mother is more concerned with Laura than with him. He deals with reality by escaping it. When he can’t get his way, he leaves home and doesn’t let anyone know where he is because in his mind he thinks he’s right. So people in his situation might agree that escaping reality is a way out
Amanda Wingfield is the mother. In contrast to Tom, who sets the mood in the play, Amanda is a mover, the character who sets the story into motion. Tom shares a few tender moments with his mother, but more typically, he’s put off by her scolding and nagging. Amanda was “right” because she wanted the best for her children. When she was younger, she had many boyfriends. And it hurts her that Laura, her daughter, hasn’t ever had men come to the house. So she tried to live vicariously through her daughter. But she doesn’t see anything wrong with that. Some mothers would probably agree with what amanda is doing simply because they can understand what its like to have their daughter be perfect.
Laura Winglfield is the daughter. Laura frequently escapes to a private, imaginary world occupied by fragile glass animals. Of the three Wingfields, Laura stands in the greatest peril, for she lacks both the strength of Amanda and the potential to escape, like Tom. Laura creates the impression that she’s forever going to be a misfit. The world is simply too harsh for her. Laura is “right” because she feels she’s handicapped and can’t do things that other girls her age are doing. She uses Ms. as the reason she doesn’t have men coming to the house, and she uses it to hide from the world. Other handicapped people might agree with that because they understand what she’s going through.
In conclusion it is clear that the three main characters of the drama The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, Tom Wingfield, Amanda Wingfield, and Laura Wingfield are right in their own ways which justified German Schiller s comment that in good drama every good character is right.