Mr. Wingfield is not a character in the play; he has not one speaking line, yet he posseses so much power and control over the lives of his wife and children. Select either Tom, Amanda, or Laura and explain how this character's life is haunted by Mr. Wingfield. Give specific lines to prove your statement. CATCH: You may not comment on the same character as the person before you and you can not say the same thing anyone else has offered. (The deadline to post a response to this blog is Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013.)
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Amanda's life is haunted by Mr. Wingfield because she loved him and he left her. She usually calls him 'your father' because she was hurt that he left her, but she really did live him. She even told Tom,"I really loved him.." She is also haunted by him because she is afraid Tom is going to turn out like him. In fact, she told Tom, "more and more you remind me of your father," which scares her more than anything.
Laura is haunted by Mr. Wingfield because she has grown without a father. She desires for her fatherly figure in which she had. For example, Laura likes to reminisce by listening to the victrola which she did with her father.
I believe Tom Wingfield is haunted in such a way the other characters are not. He has grown without a father to look up to, however, in many of his actions, Mr. Wingfield is shown. Such examples are going out and coming in late and his selfishness as Amanda would say. He is always told he is just like his father and I feel, in result of this, he resorts to escaping just like his father because he knows no other way.
I believe Amanda is haunted the most by Mr. Wingfield. She has the most memories of him and everything he did hurt her. Amanda cannot escape from his grasps, even though he is gone. She is caught in the memories and is continually haunted by him.
In The Glass Menagerie, each of the characters is haunted by Mr. Wingfield who left the family. I believe that Tom is haunted by him because Tom often voices his desire to leave like his father did. During the scene six when he is bringing Jim over for dinner, Tom says "I won't be here...I'm like my father. The bastard son of a bastard! See how he grins? And he's been absent going on sixteen years!" This shows that he is affected by his father's absence, but that he also longs for the freedom his father found.
In the play The Glass Menagerie, the character of Amanda Wingfield is deeply influenced by her husband, Mr. Wingfield, even though he has been physically absent from her life for sixteen years. Through out the play, Amanda constantly frets about her daughter's future happiness. Her attempts to find Laura a husband and send her to Business College illustrate her desire for Laura's life to be better than her own; however, Laura lacks the confidence in herself necessary to be successful in these attempts. One night, Amanda expresses her exasperation as she discovers that Laura has dropped out of Business School, saying, "So what are we going to do the rest of our lives? ... Eternally play those worn-out phonograph records your father left as a painful reminder of him?" Amanda wants her family to be happy, but the ghost of her husband prevents her family from completely moving on with their lives.
In The Glass Menagerie, all of the Wingfield's are affected by the absence of Mr. Wingfield, but the one that is most affected is Tom. Since his father left, he had to become the man of the house and take on many responsibilities at a young age. His absent father allowed Tom to become bitter towards his family. For example, he always goes to the movies, so he can escape reality for a little while. He also has to pay the bills instead of becoming a sailor like he wants. If his father was home, Tom could have pursed his dreams and never developed bitter feelings. He would have also been able to visit his home every now and then.
Amanda seems to be influenced by Mr. Wingfield the most, throughout the play, which becomes apparent in more ways than one. Amanda constantly frets that her son will leave just like Mr. Wingfield did, because Tom constantly goes out and drinks and goes to "movies". Because of her constant memories of her ex-husband, she sees more and more of him in her own son, which worsens the haunting of Mr. Wingfield for Amanda, more so than the rest of the family.
In the "Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams, each of the family are haunted by the memories of Mr. Wingfield. His leave influenced the lives of each person differently, but it had the most effect on Tom, his son. Due to Mr. Wingfield's desertion, Tom must become the provider of the family and give up on his dreams. This makes drives to seek escape from his family, just as his father did. It is revealed when Tom says, "I'm right at the point of committing myself to a future that doesn't include the warehouse....in public speaking." This scene shows that Tom plans to do exactly as his father did and escape his life in the city.
Mr. Wingfield has left his mark on all of the characters in the play, but Amanda seems to suffer the most. Perpetually haunted by his departure, she continuously refers to him in a bitter way. Yet, she does this to hide the fact that she did indeed love him. This is revealed when she tells Tom, "Comb your hair! You look so pretty when your hair is combed! There is only one respect in which I would like you to emulate your father...The care he took of his appearance. He never allowed himself to look untidy." She resents the father's actions and tries to do what's right for her children, but she can't escape the fact that he was a wonderful part of her life at one point.
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