Tom Wingfield Timeline and Summary

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• Tom introduces himself as the narrator and explains the memory nature of the play.
• He gives the background info about his father having left them.
• He fights with his mother at the table.
• Tom hangs out on the fire escape and discusses his mother’s desire for his sister to be a house wife.
• Tom argues with Amanda about his reading Lawrence and going to the movies.
• He waxes poetic about his desire to leave and/or be dead rather than work in a shoe factory.
• Tom delivers a sarcastic tirade about the evil things he does when he claims to be at the movies.
• Tom hurls his coat in anger and accidentally breaks some of the glass animals.
• He comes home drunk and bumps into Laura, telling her all about his movie-going experiences.
• Tom discusses the notion of escaping from a coffin.
• Tom apologizes to his mother on Laura’s request.
• Tom dreams about adventure – out loud, to his mother.
• He talks about the dreamy Paradise Dance Hall across the street.
• Tom reveals to Amanda that he got a gentleman caller for Laura.
• Tom goes to the movies...again.
• He smokes on the fire escape and talks about Jim
• He shows up with Jim and talks to him about adventure.
• Tom confesses that he did not pay the light bill.
• He endures dinner with Amanda and Jim.
• He finds out Jim is engaged from Amanda and gets yelled at for it.
• Tom takes off for the movies.
• Narrator Tom gives his closing speech and reveals that he left his family shortly after that night, seeking adventure and other non-boring activities.
• Tom makes it clear that he always felt guilty about leaving Laura, and couldn’t get her out of his mind.