Response paper The Glass Menagerie

While  reading The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, how their family lived and their lifestyle caught my eye. With no father figure in this family because he ran off makes this family broken. The mother Amanda is trying to keep the family together and functional but all she seems to do is yell at her children. Yelling doesn't help anything; it creates distance between all of them instead of bringing them closer and succeeding in life. The son and brother Tom escapes this home and his mother with liquor, literature, and movies. Because Tom uses these hobbies as a way out it causes his mother Amanda to fight with  him about it. Tom has a job but the daughter Laura is shy and isn't going anywhere in life like her mother wants. Amanda pushes her and gets Tom involved to help her get a husband. This story about their lives is complicated because conflicts erupt and this home doesn't seem functional at all. A home shouldn't be so crazy, it should be a place where you feel comfortable. Pushing and pulling makes this family get one each others nerves. My home and family aren't perfect; we have arguments and disagreements but never as much as their lifestyle. I also have my whole family with me. I have both parents and a brother. Laura and Tom are without a father figure and Amanda is without a husband to rely on. Because Amanda is husband-less she feels the need to step up and try to be the father because she feels the need to since their father isn't there.
 When I read stories with damaged family I feel grateful for what I have. Even in hard times I realize other people have it worse then I do and somehow they manage to go on and live their life with that scar. I have also seen it in person. My best friend has been through so much and recently she had to go through her fathers death. I saw everything that was happening to her through a different perspective because it wasn't happening to me but I realized how much I have and what I could lose. Even though Tom, Laura, and Amanda didn't actually lose him like that but they did lose him in a different way. With the people you surround yourself with makes a difference. If you have a loving family and friends around you it can make a big difference and can pick you up when your really down and depressed. Showing love towards people is strong medicine and powerful. Maybe if the character Amanda showed more of love towards her children the relationships wouldn't be as tense as they are.