The Unseen Character

"This is our father who left us a long time ago"(William , 1237).   Tom initially addresses the fifth character in Williams's The Glass Menagerie as one who does not physically show in the play.   However, the father's impact on the lives of the family cannot be understated.  One specific thing that I noticed was the numerous times that Amanda would mention the man.  I would also assume that if someone hurt me in the way that he hurt his family, his pictures would be either thrown out or kept from public eye, not hanging for all to see.  I suppose this is rather peculiar to me and probably part of the non realistic portion of the play.  The father also is keeping Tom trapped where he is.  He is stuck providing for the family that should be provided for by the father.  Tom's dreams and inspirations are quickly fading due to where he is at in his life.  The father also serves, for Amanda, as to something that she cannot let her kids become.  She constantly is expressing her paranoia about Tom showing traits similar to his father.  This serves as a reason as to why Amanda comes off as overbearing and oppressive in a way.  Lastly, the fathers impact on scene understanding is significant.  When Tom mentions his father and what he did, his father's portrait lights up.  This shows, in a way, how the father, though gone, still has an impact on how the family operates.