A central theme to the play is Tom's inner conflict of "freedom or duty." As the play goes on, we are enlightened to Tom's slow way of disconnecting with his familial relationships. When Amanda randomly asks Tom to promise her that he will never be a drunkard, Tom is indifferent to her fears. Already there is a disconnect between him and his mother. Amanda reacts, as usual, with the drama that Tom claims to despise, but ironically craves. "AMANDA (sobbingly). My devotion has made me a witch and so I make myself hateful to my children!" (Williams, 1251). While her dramatic nature is turning Tom away, if he is really looking for something to write about, he should look no further than his home. And this realization is where the play comes full circle - the reason Tom narrates the play is because he is realizing that his life was the story filled with the drama he was looking for. He will forever run away from it, because then it is more dreamy to him and therefore more appealing to his inner poet, but he knows that the story he sought was the one he was living.
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