In "The Glass Menagerie," Tennessee Williams portrays the effects that illusions can have on a family. "Amanda's anxieties are in large part economic and there is money behind many of her illusions: her mythical suitors were all wealthy; she hopes to make money by selling subscriptions to the fantasy world of The Homemaker's Companion; she computes the money Tom would save by giving up smoking" (Stein, 150). By reminiscing about her suitors, Amanda believes that Laura, her daughter, can have the same amount of success that she had as a southern bell. Amanda's high expectations on life also take a toll on Tom, her son. "Tom, the substitute father, refuses to pay the light bill, plunges his family into darkness, and then runs out, and Amanda sells subscriptions and brassieres only at the loss of her dignity" (Stein, 150).
             In Tennessee William's "The Glass Menagerie," a middle class family struggles with each other. "The Glass Menagerie" is set during the Depression in St. Louis. Amanda is the single mother of two grown children that still live with her. Amanda is the classic southern belle. In her youth, she received many callers because of her stunning beauty. Instead of choosing a planter or a planter's son, Amanda chose to marry a telephone man. After a few years of marriage, Amanda's husband leaves her. She is left to raise two children on her own. Laura, the eldest of the two, has a physical deformity, which makes her feel inadequate, both physically and mentally. Amanda attempts to get Laura to attend Rubicam's Business College. Unfortunately, the first typing test Laura had was a failure. Before starting to type, Laura became ill, and from that day on, she never went back. After Amanda found this out, she was very disappointed with her daughter. Because she does not feel that her daughter can get a husband on her own, Amanda gets her son, To...