Tennessee Williams does an thorough job of characterizing everyone in The Glass Menagerie. Each description of a character is dripping with information about his or her personality. I felt that Amanda's character was the most thoroughly characterized throughout the play.
Amanda is portrayed as a rather over-bearing old mother. Williams constantly shows how, due to her nagging, Amanda is almost always at odds with her son. It is made obvious to the reader that Amanda is nostalgic and very proud of her past; she was popular, beautiful, and had dozens of young men rallying for her attention. The abandonment of her husband surely left her with many insecurities, so Amanda makes up for that by boasting of her past to make her feel important again. Williams shows a softer, more genuine side to Amanda as well. Once one overlooks her apparent superficiality, it becomes clear that she loves her children with all her heart. "I wished for...success and happiness for my precious children" (Williams, 1256). In reality, all of Amanda's nagging, fuss, and worry, are out of love for her children. She wants them to reach their full potentials, and to just be happy. That's all any mother can ask for her children.
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