In "The Glass Menagerie" written by Tennessee Williams, the main characters Laura, Tom, and Amanda refuse to face the reality of their truly disrought lives by building their lives on a fragile foundation of dreams. The title, "The Glass Menagerie," illustrates the idea the things are easily broken and the power of illusion helps you deal with painful facts. They are trapped in a drab and joyless lives where the power of illusion helps them to escape the reality of their dysfunctional family.
             The breakdown of social values, including marriage, family, and religion stem from the characters' inability to accept responsibility. Amanda Wingfield is an unemployed women who raises two children on her own since her husband left her. She fails to be a good mother and relies on the financial support from her son. She is very hypocritical and egocentric. Amanda prays at the dinner table when Jim is invited for dinner at her home, but usually she does not accentuate the importance of religious values. Amanda continues to relive her youth.
             Amanda's daughter Laura Wingfield is a poor, pitiful character. She makes no contact with the real world by indulging herself in a precious glass collection. She has no prospects for an independent futue having quit business school. She doesn't speak a lot, but one can see the close relation to Tom.
             Tom flees familial responsibility like his father because he has found no satisfaction in his job. His struggles continues as he remains unfulfilled in his quest for adventure.
             Amanda's constant nagging and overbearing concern are responsible for her children's retreat into an unrealistic existance far removed from her. Laura continues to live in a world of a glass animal collection and music records. However, she may be worse off at the end of the story because after tasting only a few moments of ahppiness with Jim, she may now feel even more hopeless. Tom lives in a
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