In Scene 5 of The Glass Menagerie, Tom talks to the audience. In terms of meta-theatre, how does he acknowledge his need for change?Across the...

Your original question suggested that Tom's desire for
change was a flaw. I don't see as a flaw, nor does Tom. This is not the only time in the
play that Tom expresses his restlessness and the weariness he feels about his present
life:

• But
I'm not patient. I don't want to wait till then. I'm tired of the movies and I am about
to move!

• But the wonderfullest trick of all was the
coffin trick. We nailed him into a coffin and he got out of the coffin without rernoving
one nail, There is a trick that would come in handy for me - get me out of this 2 by 4
situation !

One could assume
that if his mother and sister knew of his plans to abandon them for a life at sea, they
would see it as a flaw in his character, but for Tom, this has long been a leading
motif. The need for change, romance and adventure are hardly available to him while he's
stuck stuck with Amanda and Laura. And it's not like Amanda is completely
clueless:

readability="23">

AMANDA: But, why - why, Tom - am you always so
restless? Where do you go to, nights?

TOM: I - go to the
movies.

AMANDA: Why do you go to the movies so much,
Tom?

TOM: I go to the movies because - I like
adventure. Adventure is something I don't have much of at work, so I go to the
movies.

AMANDA: But, Tom, you go to the movies entirely too
much !

TOM: I like a lot of
adventure.