The Glass Menagerie- Question 2

"To begin with, I turn back time. I reverse it to that quaint period, the thirties, when the huge middle class of America was matriculating in a school for the blind. Their eyes had failed them, or they had failed their eyes..." page 1236

This is Tom speaking as the narrator. He uses distinctly different language when he is the narrator as opposed to when he is a character. As a narrator, Tom speaks more properly. He uses more advanced diction and more complex sentence structure. As a character, Tom uses a more simple form of speaking. He uses smaller words and shorter sentences. Tom speaks differently because when he is a character, he has to portray a certain part. He must align himself with the character and how he would speak. As the narrator, he is supposed to be more objective. He must view the play as an observer rather than a participant. He uses different language in the two senses so the audience can easily tell when he is the narrator and when he is the character. If Tom used the narrator language throughout, the play would lose some of its realism. People don't actually talk the way he does as the narrator so it would not seem as real. Because he talks in a common way it is easier to believe the play. Also, the smaller sentences portray him as an uneducated character as he is.