There are essentially three sets of external conflicts throughout the play. The first that I will discuss will be about Amanda and Laura. As we see when talking about her past callers, Amanda is a very nostalgic and hopeful person. However, I do not believe that she realizes that the time that she lived in is over and the prime time that her daughter is living in is just beginning. She does not realize that there is a difference between her and her daughter. She is constantly comparing Laura to herself. This constant comparison wears down Laura and causes her great distress. This stress is slowly eating Laura down. "Mother's afraid I'm going to be an old maid"(Williams, 1240).
The second external conflict that arises in the story is between Laura and Tom. Honestly, this conflict seems similar to any brother and sister tussles that arise in any situation. Tom is bitter to nearly all because of the trapped situation he is in. He feels bad for his sister but he also wants to escape the life he is in.
Lastly, the most important external conflict in Williams' The Glass Menagerie is the conflict between Amanda and Tom. Tom is extremely sick of his mother's constant nagging and wishing that he would help his sister. Amanda is extremely sick of Tom's selfishness. This creates a near constant conflict between Tome and Amanda.
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