Mothers in The Glass Menagerie and in The Native Son - Essay Example

Compare the impact of the following mothers on their children: Amanda Wingfield from the novel ‘The glass menagerie’ and Mrs. Thomas in the novel The native son Introduction Mothers play a significant role in determining how their children develop. They take care of the children before birth, and continue the care after birth. They live with their children and guide them through the stages of life. Consequently, they determine the kind of lives lived by their children as exemplified by Mrs.

Thomas and Mrs. Wingfield, in the following discussion. Impact of the two mothers on their children Failure to empower their children is one of the ways in which the two women affect their children. Mrs. Thomas has a poor economic ability, which compels her to raise her family with financial difficulties. She does not have the capacity to educate her son, Bigger Thomas. Bigger therefore fails to earn an education that would allow him to compete for higher paying employment opportunities. The same case applies to Amanda who fails to provide Tom with an academic opportunity, and therefore compels Tom to work in a shoe warehouse to earn a living (Williams, 1).

Thomas and Tom therefore struggle for survival, as their mothers could not afford to give them a better life. The economic hardship experienced by Mrs. Thomas forces Bigger to engage in criminal activities. He joins a robbery gang, as a means of earning a living, which teaches him how to kill innocent people for selfish gains. Thomas then ends up killing Mary, the daughter of his white boss. Amanda’s poverty also forces Tom to turn to humiliating activities, such as drinking liquor, which affect him negatively.

This shows that the poverty of the two mothers affects their children negatively as they live an unpleasant life. The two mothers also influenced their children’s lives through their concerns for a better life for the children. Mrs. Thomas encouraged his son to take up a job with Mr. Dalton, who is a white millionaire, and an owner of a real estate. Bigger took up the job as a chauffeur for the Dalton family (Wright, 1). He however got himself in trouble and ended in prison. Mrs. Thomas also wanted her daughter to become an independent person.

She therefore enrolled her daughter, Laura, in a business school with the intention of helping her daughter to further her education, which could improve her opportunities in finding a good paying job and make her independent of her brother, Tom. Unfortunately, Laura does not complete her studies due to her shyness. Her mother does not help her to overcome her shyness, thus fails to encourage her to go back to school. Because of this, Laura does not earn an education, compelling her to continue being dependent on her family for financial support. Mrs. Thomas’s environment also affected her son’s life negatively.

Though she cautions her son against the involvement in criminal activities, the surrounding environmental circumstances denied her the power to instill good morals in hers son. Bigger’s world was filled with harshness, and several injustices (being black). Consequent to this, she could not deter her son from criminal activities, leading to his death through a death penalty. Conclusion Conclusively, the two mothers played a great role in the lives of their children. They lived in poverty, which made their children live a life of struggle.

Though they had a lot of concern for their children, the children suffered in various ways, and did not enjoy their lives. Works Cited Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie: Plot Overview. Sparknotes. Web < http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/menagerie/summary.html> Wright, Richard. Native Son: Plot Overview. Sparknotes. Web < http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/nativeson/summary.html>