- comparisons about the similarities between the characters' relation to the past. The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams The Tragic Effects of the Past In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams creates a world in which the characters are disillusioned by the present. Amanda, Tom, and Laura achieve this disillusionment by resorting to separate worlds where they can find sanctuary. Each character develops their own world, far away from reality.         Amanda frees herself from the harsh realities …showed first 75 words of 697 total…

…showed last 75 words of 697 total…a past filled with popularity and success. Tom retreats to his poetry and movies to experience adventure he cannot find in his ordinary life. Laura finds confidence playing old records on the victrola and controlling her glass collection. All these simulated worlds that the characters retreat to, leave them unprotected from the reality of the world. Being unprepared, Amanda, Tom, and Laura are tragically lost in their own dream worlds, far away from the present.