A Comparison Of Man-Moth And Tom In The Glass Menagerie

Life allows people to discover themselves by escaping reality and welcoming imagination. Tennessee Williams’s play The Glass Menagerie follows the memories of Tom, a young man who yearns for an escape where he can discover who he is destined to be. The poem, “The Man-Moth,” by Elizabeth Bishop, involves a man wanting to escape his mundane life by creating a fictional scenario in which he discovers that his path is not in reach. Although they both possess feeling of no escape, the differences between Tom and Man-Moth are in their goals in life are clear through the realizations they have when they use their imagination.
Body 1: Tom feels like there is no escape
Body 2: MM feels like there is no escape
Body 3: Tom wants to escape to become a

In a moment of impulsivity, Tom reveals: “I descended the steps of this fire escape for a last time and followed, from then on, in my father’s footsteps, attempting to find in motion what was lost in space” (97). Tom leavesis determined to leave the house that held him back from finding himself and like his father, leaves. Tom makes his decision to pursue his dreams, allowing him to escape the reality of his family and embark on a path of imagination and creativity as a writer. In contrast, Man-Moth succumbs to the hurdles that stand in his way: “He regards it as a disease he has inherited the susceptibility to” (Citation) Man-Moth expresses his fear of life itself and continues on the same path which keeps him from reaching his full potential. The Man-Moth only imagines himself as a moth but fails While Man-Moth uses his imagination, he hurts himself because he only dreams of himself as a moth but fails to act towards reaching his goals. Therefore, unlike Tom, Man-Moth does not overcome this obstacle and blocks his path to success. Although, Tom and the Man-Moth both use their creativity, Tom uses it as an inspiration to help in his journey of identity, while the Man-Moth neglects to use his imagination