Escaping Reality

Today we celebrate the birth of Tennessee Williams, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire.’ In this play, the down and out Southern Belle, Blanche Dubois, expresses her desire not to be in the naked light, choosing the fantasy of what her life should be over dismal reality. Like a delicate moth destroyed by flame with her fluffy white clothing, Blanche cringes in the light of an exposed bulb — just as she does in the realization of her lackluster life situation. 

Williams further explores similar concepts in his ‘The Glass Menagerie’ while turning to pure fantasy as Laura, the daughter of a domineering mother with a cynical brother, lives in a tenement in the South of the US — and turns from the horrors of her reality to live in a fantasy world with a collection of glass animals. 

Similarly, in “Adam in Taoland,” our hero escapes his dismal life in Novana to find excitement, love, and adventure in the fantasy land of Taoland — only to discover evil, jealousy and corruption there as well. As his adventure unfolds, he meets unfamiliar creatures and new, incredible species along the way, but he must remain aware of threats lurking around every corner.

Escapism is but a temporary consolation. Try as we might, we can never escape reality. We may fantasize about a perfect world — but the truth is, we will only discover inner joy and our true purpose if we shed materialistic temptations and commit to a life of selfless service instead.