Tom has long ago left his mother, Amanda, and his sister,
Laura. He is remebering the aftermath of the disastrous dinner with Jim, the gentleman
caller. As Tom speaks of his escape from his family and what he has done with his life
since, we see the two women in his life act out a little play, as in metatheatre. As he
speaks from the present, a vignette from the past unfolds behind him: Laura, curled up
on the sofa in utter hopelessness and disbelief, is tended to by her mother. Just as Tom
finishes his final speech with:
Oh, Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind
me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be !
I reach
for a cigarette, I cross the street, I run into the movies or a bar, I buy a drink, I
speak to the nearest stranger -anything that can blow your candles out
!
Laura blows the candles out
ending the play. It's like a pathetic, little ballet set to a heartfelt, poetic
narration.
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