Abby Holdeman Defense of Amanda Wingfield 6B 7 August 2014

Though Amanda Wingfield can be considered the antagonist of The

Glass Menagerie, she is not completely evil. Amanda is a merely a victim of
circumstance. Because Tom is the narrator of the play, we see Amanda as an
overbearing and manipulative mother, when in reality, she is a hardworking
mother with strength and a determination to give her children an ideal life,
even if the ideals are her own.
Tom Wingfield, Amandas son, is the narrator of the play. Therefore, we
see Amanda through his eyes. Amanda is Toms mother and constantly
meddles in his and Lauras life. Tom doesnt want this, and influences the
story until he is seen as the victim and Amanda is seen as the cruel and
heartless mother, especially when it comes to Laura. One night at dinner,
Amanda reminds Tom of his table manners, Honey, dont push with your
fingers [...] And chew - chew! (Williams 54-58). In the context of the play, it
seems harsh and overbearing. But when read by itself, this gentle reminder
instead shows what it really is. A mother wanting the best for her children
and teaching them manners.
Amanda wants to give her children the same kind of life she had as a
youth. Amanda was a stereotypical southern belle and frequently recalls the
days when she had 17 gentlemen callers in one day. Amanda intervenes in
her childrens lives so that they make the right decisions and become better
people in order to have the future shes dreamed for them. The fault lies not
in her hope for her children, but her failure to realize that her children want

different things than she does. Amanda gears her entire life towards doing
what she thinks will make her children happy, but because her ideal life
differs from Tom and Lauras, she comes off as manipulative and
overbearing.