The world is created through humanity's perceptions, shaped by their shared experiences of the world, but differentiated by each individual experience. Within The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, the concepts of crushing truth, individual perceptions, and humanity's flaws are explored. Through the various characters, with a specific focus on Tom's narrative, Williams argues that truth is only a subjective idea created through the perceptions of mankind, shaped through humanity's flaws. One of the biggest themes in The Glass Menagerie is the concept that all humans are imperfect; yet this is precisely what unites every person in civilization. Williams easily demonstrates this with his range of characters. Between Amanda, Laura, Jim and Tom, Williams establishes that no one is flawless, whether this manifests itself in a misperception of the truth, or in the need to escape, as “ we see Tom escape from the warehouse… retreating to the cinema, a world of adventures analogous to the life he dreams of…movies provide his cover…and are his escape mechanism” (Reynolds 2). Each defect manifests itself differently in different people. In the play, Tom initially appears to expose each character's flaws, including his own, through his role as narrator. For Tom himself, it is his inability to stay and support his family, his romantic view of the world, and his deep-rooted need for adventure. For Amanda it is her inability to live in the present, and for Laura it is her inability to function in society. Each of these flaws can be overwhelmingly identified in the poorly perceived interactions between characters. Even if they misunderstand each other, one witnesses their shortcomings, "for losing... half the paper... in The Glass Menagerie." Notes on Contemporary Literature 38.4 (2008): 5. Literature Resource Center. Network. March 3, 2012. Levy, Eric P. “'Through Soundproof Glass': The Prison of Self-Awareness in The GlassMenagerie.” Modern Drama 36.4 (December 1993): 529-537. Rpt. In contemporary literary criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter and Deborah A. Schmitt. vol. 111. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. Literature Resource Center. Network. March 3, 2012.Reynolds, James. “The Failure of Technology in the Glass Menagerie.” Modern Drama 34.4 (December 1991): 522-527. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter and Deborah A. Schmitt. vol. 111. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. Literature Resource Center. Network. February 15, 2012. Williams, Tennessee. The glass menagerie. In literature: reading fiction, poetry and theatre. 5th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, 2002. 1780-831. Press.