Final answer:
Laura Wingfield escapes into her collection of glass figurines, while Tom Wingfield escapes by going to the movies and eventually leaving his family in search of freedom.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Tennessee Williams' play, The Glass Menagerie, Laura Wingfield escapes from the pressures of her reality into her collection of glass figurines, a delicate, fragile fantasy world where she finds solace and comfort. Her brother, Tom Wingfield, seeks escape from his unhappiness in two main ways: he goes to the movies to immerse himself in adventure and fantasy, and he ultimately chooses to abandon his family responsibilities to seek a life of freedom and fulfilment, despite the pain it causes him and his family.
Laura's retreat into her glass menagerie represents her withdrawal from the challenges of social interaction and the expectations placed upon her by her family and society. In contrast, Tom's escapism is more active; he physically removes himself from the environment he finds oppressive by going to the movies, and eventually, he leaves his family behind, akin to the gentleman caller he conjured in his stories, seeking new experiences and a life untethered from his past.