Character Analysis: Amanda

"I mean that as soon as Laura has got somebody to take care of her, married, a home of her own, independent-why then you'll be free to go wherever you please, on land, on sea, whichever way the wind blows you! But until that time you've got to look out for your sister. I don't say me because I'm old and don't matter! I say your sister because she's young and dependent." -iv.1253

     This excerpt comes from one of the main arguments between Tom and Amanda, when Amanda essentially tells Tom he must provide for the family and help in finding Laura a husband. Tom wants to live his own independent, expressive life, but he is weighed down by his situation at home. These arguments are prime dialogue to analyze the character of Amanda however. Her concern for her daughter suggests she loves her kids very much, despite her demands on Tom. She clearly wants the best for them but does not have a way to provide for that. The beginning of the play and questions following the play describe Amanda as a character who "continues to live vitally in her allusions." These allusions are that a handsome, moral man will stumble upon Laura and marry, and that Tom will somehow make something of his life and provide for her until her death. Both situations are highly unlikely, given the reality of their situation. Amanda overlooks the fact that Laura is crippled and this angers Tom, who starts to act more like his father who left the home. I believe Amanda has the tragic trait of being overly optimistic. She wants and expects everything to fall into place, and when they do not, she pressures Tom and, in a way, Jim to make it so. This leaves at the conclusion that Amanda is mentally lazy and stuck in the past. She is from the South, where status consitutes a person's reputation. Here, men fall into women's lives naturally. However, she now lives in St. Louis in a changing time period. She doesn't recognize the need to change her approach to the difficult situation of Laura's inability to attract men, and so Tom suffers because of it.