Memory is an Illusion: The Glass Menagerie

Tom: "I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion...The play is a memory. Being a memory play, it is dimly lighted, it is sentimental, it is not realistic" (1236).

The entire play consists of Tom, the narrator, replaying a memory focusing on his interactions with his mother and his sister. Since the story is told by Tom, a certain amount of bias may exist against the other characters.  This is Tom's memory, so he could recreate the events to reflect his views on the scenes. Because Tom does not get along with his mother or interacts well with his sister, he might portray them differently in his memory. Laura and Amanda are both portrayed as weaker characters, governed by illusions. All of the scenes involve a dreamlike setting, and the scene directions are very specific.The curtains separating the rooms, the soft lighting, and the music all contributed to the memory being portrayed as an illusion. Another effect adding to the nonrealistic qualities is Tom's narration and his cues for lighting and music. All of this, the stage, the lighting, the narration, is to solidify Tom's statement that this memory gives truth disguised as illusion.