Research Paper on:
Contemporary Antihero in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

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conflicted view of life, and as a result, many have considered Tom an excellent example of an anti-hero. In order to understand this argument, though, it is necessary to  assess the thematic progression of the play, Toms essential role, and the distinctions in his familial relationships that serve as the basis for his characterization. The concept of an  anti-hero is commonly associated with an ironic hero, a hero that does not follow the social expectations of an action hero and does not demonstrate the same types of qualities  commonly assessed in traditioanl heros. In fact, an ironic hero has been desscribed as a hero of a low social standing, a social standing that places him/her below the  audience. At the same time, an ironic hero commonly demonstrates personal conflict and internal struggle, either because of imposed limitations or because of factors that are tormenting.  When Tennessee Williams wrote his play The Glass Menagerie, he recognized that the interactions between characters can often reflect significant distinctions based on social standing. One of  Williams central themes is the notion that individuals of varied classes can interact and even marry, but that their actions commonly reflect the specificity of their origins. Williams character  Tom is central to defining the family stratification in the play, and also shapes a distinct view of the way familial associations influence personal perspective and define both internal and  external conflict. Tom is a character who struggles with self-identification, a struggle that seems bound to end in failure. Though his process of self-realization determines a comparative view of  his family, it becomes evident through the course of the play that Tom hopes to make a substantive break from his family, gradually moving away from their reality, a process