The Westons and Wingfields are two very dysfunctional American families, dealing with issues of abandonment by the family patriarch and an infuriatingly selfish and controlling woman for a mother. In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams depicts a southern family dealing with the struggles of life and their fears of the future after they are deserted by their father and husband. Tracy Letts drama, 'August: Osage County', is a story whose plot focuses on a dysfunctional family's forced reunion, triggered by the death of the family patriarch, Beverly Weston. The Weston family and members thereof, are dealing with issues currently at hand and problems from their past, mainly brought on by the actions of the family matriarch, Violet. Unhealthy family relationships are a dime a dozen between the two families, which are only amplified by the presence of the family matriarchs, Violet and Amanda. Both of the family's deficiencies has confined them to their homes, causing Violet and Amanda to face the music or go on ignoring the issue. .
The Westons and Wingfields are two very broken American families, dealing with very similar issues. Every member of the Wingfield household has their own issues and problems which are only worsened by Amanda's presence. In Tennessee William's The Glass Menagerie, Amanda continuously tries to portray herself as an archetypal mother figure; caring, loving and selfless when it comes to her children. As it turns out, Amanda is in fact very selfish, demanding and ungrateful in respect to her children. Her selfishness is depicted when she states, "AMANDA: What are we going to do, what is going to become of us, what is the future" (Williams 12). It is very apparent that Amanda only has her well being in mind, because of her worry that she cannot depend on Laura to sustain her, as a result of her dropping out of business school. Amanda claims that everything she does is for the good of her children, yet she is very ungrateful of everything Tom has done for the family and even demands that he brings a gentleman caller home for Laura.
