The Complex Character of Amanda in The Glass MenagerieAmanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie provides an excellent example of a complex, carefully crafted character from which speech and action flow of the “psychological” being created by the playwright. In the description of his character, Tennessee Williams takes his reader on the path to discovering the complexity of Amanda. AMANDA WINGFIELD the mother. A small woman of great but confused vitality who clings frantically to another time and another place. Its characterization must be carefully created and not copied from a type. She's not paranoid, but her life is paranoid. There are many things to admire about Amanda, and as many reasons to love and pity as to laugh. Certainly, she has endurance and a kind of heroism, and although her stupidity sometimes makes her unintentionally cruel, there is tenderness in her light-hearted person. (Williams 781) “Before the first lines are spoken, Amanda's complexity is established” (Falk 126) by the nuances and contrasts given here. This basic description must be applied to all dialogue and actions throughout the play in order to preserve the fullness of Amanda's character in moments when only parts of her nature are exposed. The complexity of Amanda's character directly affects her action and her dialogue with her children. In her role as a mother, she demonstrates an irresistible desire to see her children succeed in life. Trying to...... middle of paper ......ding Plays. Boston: Allyn, 1990. 307-314.Bigsby, CWE A critical introduction to twentieth-century American drama. Flight. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1984. Falk, Signi. “The Southern Gentlewoman.” Modern Critical Interpretations Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie. ed. Harold Bloom. NY: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. Jackson, Esther Merle. The Broken World of Tennessee Williams. Madison: & Wisconsin P, 1965. Parker, RB, ed. Twentieth-century interpretations of the glass menagerie. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1983. Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. Masterpieces of drama. Ed. Alexander W. Allison, Arthus J. Carr, Arthur M. Eastman. 5th ed. New York: Macmillan, 1986. 779- 814.