The Glass Menagerie - Characters

Characters

Amanda Wingfield

A faded Southern belle abandoned by her husband who is trying to raise her two children under harsh financial conditions. Amanda yearns for the comforts from her youth and also longs for her children to have the same comforts, but her devotion to them has made her – as she admits at one point – to almost be "hateful" towards them.

Tom Wingfield

Amanda's son and Laura's younger brother. Tom works at a shoe warehouse to support his family but is frustrated by his job and aspires to be a poet. He escapes from reality through nightly trips to the movies and local bars. Tom feels both obligated toward yet burdened by his family. He feels he is grossly misunderstood by his mother.

Laura Wingfield

Amanda's daughter and Tom's older sister. A childhood illness has left her with a limp, and she has an inferiority complex that has caused her to be isolated from the outside world. She has created a world of her own symbolized by her collection of glass figurines.

A Gentleman Caller

An old high school acquaintance of Tom and Laura. Jim was a popular athlete during his days at Soldan High School and is now a shipping clerk at the same shoe warehouse in which Tom works.

Mr. Wingfield

Amanda's absentee husband and Laura and Tom’s father. Mr. Wingfield was a handsome man who worked for a telephone company and "fell in love with long distance", abandoning his family 16 years before the play's action. Although he doesn't appear onstage, Mr. Wingfield is frequently referred to by Amanda and his picture is prominently displayed in the Wingfields' living room.