It is an innate desire of all human beings to succeed. Indeed, with success comes a feeling of personal accomplishment, fulfillment, and pride. The prospect of such a future can push many to make great efforts to achieve their goal. Although ideal images of achievement may differ slightly from person to person, they are all socially constructed ideals. Unfortunately, society has a tendency to idealize these standards, placing them at a level that is unattainable and impossible to achieve. As such, these unattainable images of success have driven numerous individuals into misery and despair as they desperately attempt to reach that impossible ideal. For many, their inevitable failures ultimately result in psychological turmoil and heartache. This is the case of the Wingfield family in Tennessee Williams' play The Glass Menagerie, which illustrates an American family's vain attempt to realize the "American dream". Through his depiction of the Wingfields' deteriorating mental condition, Williams reveals the destructive psychological consequences of failing to meet social standards of success. Amanda Wingfield's unconscious denial of her dismal socioeconomic position forces her to seek solace in an idealized past, which ultimately traps her. in a world of illusions. Throughout the play, Amanda's only connection to the present is represented through her desire "for a stable family structure, that is, a stable means of support, for her daughter", a structure in which her daughter Laura "will find a suitable husband". , one who will not drink excessively, who will find enough excitement in a conventional career and family" (Domina). In other words, Amanda wishes to be part of the successful American group... middle of paper... liberated from a reality Painful Works Cited "Defense Mechanisms." The Gale Encyclopedia. 8 March 2012. DiYanni, Robert. “The Glass Menagerie.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, 2002. Print.Domina, L.M. “An Overview of The Glass Menagerie.” Dramaturgy for Students. Detroit: Literary Resource Center. 6 March 2012. .Dusenbury, California: Greenhaven. 1998. 66-72. Print.