Amanda Wingfield Vampire

Monsters can be found all across literature. The destruction of some monsters is concentrated yet still leaves widespread and lasting damage. A common but often-unnoticed monster is a vampire, who hides in plain sight and saps the life out of others for their own gain. The vampire in The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, is the mother, Amanda Wingfield. Amanda Wingfield’s existence as a vampire figure feeding off her children advances the irony of a mother and the danger she presents to society. Amanda Wingfield’s driving force of being a vampire is her unending desire to preserve her younger self. Along with her desire to seek vitality in other people, she shows a strong commitment to her outward physical appearance, and uses that to

Throughout the play, Amanda is oppressive and controlling of her children, especially Laura. When it comes to Laura, “Amanda is no less overbearing and ill-advised in her attempts to manage her daughter’s life” (Fambrough npag). Whether it is how Laura spends her days or dresses, Amanda gives her input and expects her wishes to be carried out; if they are not fulfilled, then Amanda lashes out. Most of the time, Laura “... just drifts along doing nothing… [she needs] somebody to take care of her, married, a home of her own” (Williams, scene 4). Laura has become so dependent on Amanda that she is lost without someone telling her what to do. Amanda is also exercising her control over Laura by definitively deciding that Laura needs to be cared for by a husband; she goes behind Laura’s back when asking Tom to find a gentleman caller because Laura’s opinion is irrelevant. Though Amanda focuses primarily on Laura, Tom is not safe either. When Tom and Amanda argue, she tells him, “‘You're going to listen, and no more insolence from you,” and then, “[He comes back toward her.]” (scene 3). Though Tom seems to have more freedom, he is still on his mother’s leash, and cannot walk away in her presence. These moments of Amanda’s power are frequent because there is no one to stop her actions. She is alone in raising Tom and Laura, since their “... father… left [them] a long time ago” (scene 1). Amanda freely feeds off of Tom and Laura, and they suffer as a result. Tom mirrors Laura’s reclusion because he “… has created his own world…” through writing instead of focusing at work (Rusinko npag). Jim, upon observing Tom, tells him that he is “... going to be out of a job if [Tom] doesn’t wake up” (Williams, scene 6). Tom’s work ethic and motivation are steadily decreasing because of Amanda’s constant feeding. He has no passion for his job, and only continues to work so that