Escaping reality in 'The Glass Menagerie' Tennessee Williams presents us with four characters whose lives seem to consist of avoiding reality more than facing it. Tom uses movie theaters and dreams of a better life to avoid the harsh reality of having nothing. Laura uses her victrola and collection of glass animals to maintain her fantasy world. He would much rather pretend to be somewhere else than actually be somewhere else. Amanda lives her life through the lives of her children. This helps her avoid seeing how sad her state of life has truly become. And Jim, who probably has less of a need to escape from reality by not telling people what's really going on in his life. Instead of telling Laura he's engaged, he takes her memories of him as the high school hero and feeds on them. All the characters seem to separate themselves from the cruel reality of their lives. Their efforts to escape only serve to distract them from their problems. Laura is still an introverted, dependent and sad girl. Tom still faces a dead-end life, even as he runs away to find his dream. Amanda still lacks the means to support herself and Laura and remains plagued by a colorful fantasy past. Jim leaves the stage and we wonder if he will ever leave the warehouse. The show, like our own lives, is full of possible escapes. The characters, like many of us, try to find a way out but manage to get trapped in their problems. And we, the audience, marvel at it all.