Final answer:
In 'The Glass Menagerie,' Amanda has conflicting desires for the gentleman caller for Laura and to recapture her youth. Amanda hopes that the gentleman caller will provide companionship and security for Laura, while also longing to relive the romanticism and excitement of her own youth.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 'The Glass Menagerie,' Amanda has conflicting desires for the gentleman caller for Laura and to recapture her youth. She longs for Laura to have companionship and security through marriage, hoping that the gentleman caller will serve this purpose. However, Amanda also sees this as an opportunity to link herself to the romanticism and excitement of her youth.
An example of text-based evidence is when Amanda asks if the gentleman caller is the type of man who would 'carry her off.' This suggests Amanda's desire to be swept away and recreate the youth and passion she once had. Additionally, the description of the conversation between the man and woman being artificial and heightened further supports the idea that Amanda's desires for the gentleman caller stem from a desire to recapture her youth.